used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
aimlesslyadverbUS /ˈeɪmləsli/
without aim; in an aimless manner
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
AlaskanounUS /əˈlæskə/
a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
beamsnounUS /biːmz/
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
blownadjectiveUS /bloʊn/
being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
clangnounUS /klæŋ/
a loud resonant repeating noise
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
coppernounUS /ˈkɑːpər/
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
denseadjectiveUS /dens/
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
disknounUS /dɪsk/
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Port Townsend stands knee-deep in the edge of a sea-garden.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
firesnounUS /ˈfaɪərz/
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the Inland Sea.
InlandadjectiveUS /ˈɪnlænd/
situated away from an area's coast or border
From this reading In the Inland Sea.
interioradjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɪriər/
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
knee-deepadjective
coming only to the ankle or knee
From this reading Port Townsend stands knee-deep in the edge of a sea-garden.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading Port Townsend stands knee-deep in the edge of a sea-garden.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
screamverbUS /skriːm/
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading In the Inland Sea.
sea-garden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Port Townsend stands knee-deep in the edge of a sea-garden.
ship'snounUS /ʃɪps/
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
shornadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrn/
having the hair or wool cut or clipped off as if with shears or clippers
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading Port Townsend stands knee-deep in the edge of a sea-garden.
not in physical motion
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
sun-track
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
sweepingadjectiveUS /ˈswiːpɪŋ/
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the Inland Sea.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
TownsendnounUS /ˈtaʊnzənd/
United States social reformer who proposed an old-age pension sponsored by the federal government; his plan was a precursor to Social Security (1867-1960)
From this reading Port Townsend stands knee-deep in the edge of a sea-garden.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
veiledadjectiveUS /veɪld/
having or as if having a veil or concealing cover
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
migratory
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sun, shorn of his beams, was a disk of copper; the sun-track in the sea, a trail of blood.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were waiting the arrival of the Alaska boat,--wandering aimlessly about the little town, looking off upon the quiet sea, now veiled in a dense smoke blown down from the vast forest fires that were sweeping the interior.
whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/
make whistling sounds
From this reading The clang of every ship's bell, the scream of every whistle, gave us new hope; but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting.
