used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
alenounUS /eɪl/
a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
a quantity of money
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
biteverbUS /baɪt/
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
BristolnounUS /ˈbrɪstəl/
an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
docksnounUS /dɑːks/
plural of “dock” — an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
take in solid food
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
hurly-burly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
inquirynounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪriː/
a search for knowledge
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
a female domestic
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
Mariner's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
mugnounUS /mʌɡ/
the quantity that can be held in a mug
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
and nothing more
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
seaportnounUS /ˈsiːpɔːrt/
a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading A maid served behind the bar and soon brought me a mug of ale.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
shufflingnounUS /ˈʃʌflɪŋ/
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
sundownnounUS /ˈsʌndaʊn/
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading I arrived in the city near sundown of an evening.
surpassedverbUS /sərˈpæst/
past form of “surpass” — distinguish oneself
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
tavernnounUS /ˈtævərn/
a building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
thitheradverbUS /ˈðɪθɜːr/
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
trafficnounUS /ˈtræfɪk/
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Bristol was then the second seaport of the kingdom; only London surpassed it in the number of ships sailing from its docks and in the amount of hurly-burly, shuffling traffic in its streets.
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 As soon as I had had a bite to eat I set out for the water front.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading The Mariner’s Rest was the principal tavern, and thither I went to begin my inquiry for a passage to New York.
