used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading The sound of screaming whistles of tug-boats awoke him.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
black-hulled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
colourlessadjective
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
craneverbUS /kreɪn/
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
the first light of day
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
GirondenounUS /dʒərˈɔːnd/
the French moderate political party that was in power (1791-1793) during the French Revolution
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
the act of departing
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The sound of screaming whistles of tug-boats awoke him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
indefinably
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
lankyadjectiveUS /ˈlæŋki/
tall and thin and having long slender limbs
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
liftingverbUS /ˈlɪftɪŋ/
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
lighthousesnounUS /ˈlaɪthaʊsɪz/
plural of “lighthouse” — a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
lungsnounUS /lʌŋz/
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
the force of workers available
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
patternnounUS /ˈpætərn/
a perceptual structure
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
port-hole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
reddishadjectiveUS /ˈredɪʃ/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
sailing-boats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
cut with a saw
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
scentedadjectiveUS /ˈsentɪd/
having the sense of smell
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
screamingadjectiveUS /ˈskriːmɪŋ/
so extremely intense as to evoke screams
From this reading The sound of screaming whistles of tug-boats awoke him.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound of screaming whistles of tug-boats awoke him.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
steamersnounUS /ˈstiːmərz/
plural of “steamer” — a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
throatyadjectiveUS /ˈθroʊti/
sounding as if pronounced low in the throat
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
trampingverbUS /ˈtræmpɪŋ/
-ing form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
tug-boats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of screaming whistles of tug-boats awoke him.
unisonnounUS /ˈjuːnəsən/
corresponding exactly
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
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 Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Feet were tramping on the deck above his head.
whineverbUS /waɪn/
move with a whining sound
From this reading The shrill whine of a crane sounded in his ears and the throaty cry of men lifting something in unison.
whistlesnounUS /ˈwɪsəlz/
plural of “whistle” — the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading The sound of screaming whistles of tug-boats awoke him.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
winkingnounUS /ˈwɪŋkɪŋ/
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Before going to bed Martin had seen the lighthouses winking at the mouth of the Gironde, and had filled his lungs with the new, indefinably scented wind coming off the land.
but in spite of that
From this reading Through his port-hole in the yet colourless dawn he saw the reddish water of a river with black-hulled sailing-boats on it and a few lanky little steamers of a pattern he had never seen before.
