used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
in addition
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
blowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
Clearchus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
without deviation
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
driftverbUS /drɪft/
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
destroyed or killed
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
NelsonnounUS /ˈnelsən/
English admiral who defeated the French fleets of Napoleon but was mortally wounded at Trafalgar (1758-1805)
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
not one, and not any
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
an educational institution
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
southeastnounUS /ˌsaʊˈθiːst/
the compass point midway between south and east; at 135 degrees
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
southerlyadjectiveUS /ˈsʌðərli/
situated in or oriented toward the south
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
tackverbUS /tæk/
fasten with tacks
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading After a day of this, we came about on the other tack.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
tradesnounUS /treɪdz/
plural of “trade” — the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
hard to endure
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
trying-out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
except if; if not
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
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 There was a fairly rapid drift of the surface water, also from the east, as would be expected.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading As soon as the trying-out was finished, we stood off to the southeast, or a little southerly of that.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
whalesnounUS /weɪlz/
plural of “whale” — a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
in or at the place that
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
windwardnounUS /ˈwɪndwərd/
the direction from which the wind is coming
From this reading We could none of us understand why, unless some of the officers did, but the large school of whales had disappeared almost directly to windward, and Captain Nelson may have been trying to see where they had gone.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The trades here were blowing strong from the east, and that was as close as the Clearchus would sail.
