used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
abackadverbUS /əˈbæk/
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
brimmingadjectiveUS /ˈbrɪmɪŋ/
filled to capacity
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
broad-backed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
burthennoun
a variant of “burden”
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
channelsnounUS /ˈtʃænəlz/
official routes of communication
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading THE DEAD HELMSMAN.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
egg-shell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
estimatenounUS /ˈestəmət/
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
fore-top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
freshenedverbUS /ˈfreʃənd/
past form of “freshen” — make (to feel) fresh
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
in a gradual manner
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
HELMSMANnounUS /ˈhelmzmæn/
the person who steers a ship
From this reading THE DEAD HELMSMAN.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
ten 10s
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
set down according to a plan
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
musket-shot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
pouringadjectiveUS /ˈpɔːrɪŋ/
flowing profusely
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
established beyond doubt
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
transport commercially
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
silver-gushing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
surgesnounUS /ˈsɜːrdʒəz/
plural of “surge” — a sudden forceful flow
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
swellverbUS /swel/
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DEAD HELMSMAN.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
tonsnounUS /tʌnz/
a large number or amount
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
topsailnoun
a sail (or either of a pair of sails) immediately above the lowermost sail of a mast and supported by a topmast
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
Vanderdecken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
violetnounUS /ˈvaɪəlɪt/
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading The breeze had freshened, the little surges ran in a pouring of silver-gushing heads, the broad-backed swell rose in brimming violet to our channels, and our ship rolled upon it helpless as an egg-shell.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
at the time that
From this reading We gradually drove down to her, and when we were within musket-shot Vanderdecken ordered the topsail to be laid aback.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Her burthen was within four hundred tons.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading I proved right in the estimate I had formed from the fore-top of the size of the wreck.
