used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NOR'-EASTER AT SEA.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A NOR'-EASTER AT SEA.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading It was a beautiful moonless starlight night.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
exhale hard
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
crowverbUS /kroʊ/
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
EASTERnounUS /ˈiːstər/
a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox
From this reading A NOR'-EASTER AT SEA.
eastwardadjectiveUS /ˈiːstwərd/
moving toward the east
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
fliesnounUS /flaɪz/
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
galenounUS /ɡeɪl/
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
hundred-and-thirty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a beautiful moonless starlight night.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
MarquisnounUS /ˌmɑːrˈkiː/
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
moonlessadjective
without a moon or a visible moon
From this reading It was a beautiful moonless starlight night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was a beautiful moonless starlight night.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading A NOR'-EASTER AT SEA.
north-eastadverbUS /ˌnɔːrˈθiːst/
to, toward, or in the northeast
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
reckoningnounUS /ˈrekənɪŋ/
problem solving that involves numbers or quantities
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
sailsnounUS /seɪlz/
plural of “sail” — a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/
a large beer glass
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A NOR'-EASTER AT SEA.
Seabirdnoun
a bird that frequents coastal waters and the open ocean: gulls; pelicans; gannets; cormorants; albatrosses; petrels; etc.
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
south-westadverb
to, toward, or in the southwest
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
southwardadverbUS /ˈsaʊθwərd/
toward the south
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
having a supporting base
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
starlightnounUS /ˈstɑːrlaɪt/
the light of the stars
From this reading It was a beautiful moonless starlight night.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The gale had not come on the schooner suddenly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
(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 When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
at the time that
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Duke, the Marquis, and the captain were standing together when the south-west wind on which they had been sailing, began to die, and finally shook out of the sails.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
yachtnounUS /jɑːt/
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading When this north-east wind began to blow, the yacht _Seabird_ lay well away to the southward and eastward of Silver Bay, the reckoning being that she was from the bay a hundred-and-thirty miles as a crow flies.
