used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
(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 All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
CaymansnounUS /ˈkeɪmənz/
plural of “cayman” — a semiaquatic reptile of Central and South America that resembles an alligator but has a more heavily armored belly
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
chuggedverbUS /tʃʌɡd/
inflected form of “chug” — make a dull, explosive sound
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
JamaicannounUS /dʒəˈmeɪkən/
a native or inhabitant of Jamaica
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
missionarynounUS /ˈmɪʃəneri/
someone who attempts to convert others to a particular doctrine or program
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
motornounUS /ˈmoʊtər/
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
night-watches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
possessionsnounUS /pəˈzeʃənz/
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
preachernounUS /ˈpriːtʃər/
someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
sea-passage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
sincereadjectiveUS /sɪnˈsɪr/
open and genuine; not deceitful
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
StuartnounUS /ˈstuːərt/
United States painter best known for his portraits of George Washington (1755-1828)
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading All that night the little motor boat chugged on.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Many a journey had he taken to the Caymans and other Jamaican possessions in the interests of his faith.
TRAPPEDadjectiveUS /træpt/
forced to turn and face attackers
From this reading TRAPPED!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
(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 She was small for so long a sea-passage, but the preacher knew her ways well.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In the night-watches, Stuart grew to have a strong respect for him, for the preacher was one in whom the missionary spirit burned strongly, and he was as sincere as he was simple.
