used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
abruptnessnounUS /əˈbrʌptnəs/
an abrupt discourteous manner
From this reading At the landing it turns with equal abruptness, and flows south.
acuteadjectiveUS /əˈkjuːt/
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
anglenounUS /ˈæŋɡəl/
the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
eagerly desirous
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
boatmannounUS /ˈboʊtmən/
someone who drives or rides in a boat
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
the lower side of anything
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
comparativelyadverbUS /kəmˈperətɪvli/
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
darkeradjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkər/
comparative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading At the landing it turns with equal abruptness, and flows south.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
flowsnounUS /floʊz/
plural of “flow” — the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
half-breednoun
an offensive term for an offspring of parents of different racial group (especially of Caucasian and American Indian ancestry)
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
landingnounUS /ˈlændɪŋ/
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
not any; not one
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
go across or through
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
with speed
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
rapidsnounUS /ˈræpədz/
plural of “rapid” — a part of a river where the current is very fast
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
sectionnounUS /ˈsekʃən/
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading At the landing it turns with equal abruptness, and flows south.
not in physical motion
From this reading The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
TrentonnounUS /ˈtrentən/
capital of the state of New Jersey; located in western New Jersey on the Delaware river
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
turbulentadjectiveUS /ˈtɜːrbjələnt/
characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
precisely as stated
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
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 The landing is at the edge of comparatively still water.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading At the bottom of the falls the river turns an acute angle and flows to the west.
westwardadverbUS /ˈwestwərd/
toward the west
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
in or at the place that
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading The short westward section of the river from the falls to the point where they landed is a wild, turbulent rapid, in which no boat can live for a moment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At the landing it turns with equal abruptness, and flows south.
the words that are spoken
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading From the words the elder boatman rapidly addressed to the younger, it was evident to Mr. Trenton that the half-breed was anxious to pass the rapids before it became very much darker.
