used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
airsnounUS /erz/
affected manners intended to impress others
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
a former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
bamboonounUS /bæmˈbuː/
the hard woody stems of bamboo plants; used in construction and crafts and fishing poles
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
boatmen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boatmen pulled from the land.
make calm or still
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
doomverbUS /duːm/
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The boatmen pulled from the land.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
hoistedverbUS /ˈhɔɪstəd/
past form of “hoist” — raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading The boatmen pulled from the land.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
plaintiveadjectiveUS /ˈpleɪntɪv/
expressing sorrow
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
in the near future
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading The boatmen pulled from the land.
rowingnounUS /ˈroʊɪŋ/
the act of rowing as a sport
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
RussiannounUS /ˈrʌʃən/
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
cut with a saw
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
smokedadjectiveUS /smoʊkt/
(used especially of meats and fish) dried and cured by hanging in wood smoke
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
snatchesnounUS /ˈsnætʃɪz/
plural of “snatch” — a small fragment
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
with low volume
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
sternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
in the direction of
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
tranquiladjectiveUS /ˈtræŋkwəl/
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
Treskin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked; Anna sat beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian airs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the second step towards his doom.
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 The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
at the time that
From this reading When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small steamer creeping slowly along.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The calm water and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along.
