used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading THE BATTLE CONTINUED.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
without stop or interruption
From this reading THE BATTLE CONTINUED.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
destroyingverbUS /dɪˈstrɔɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “destroy” — do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
encouragedadjectiveUS /enˈkɜːrɪdʒd/
inspired with confidence
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
an opposing military force
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
fleetnounUS /fliːt/
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
hurricane-deck
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
for more time
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
not any; not one
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
the activity of protecting someone or something
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
rainedverbUS /reɪnd/
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
reopenedverbUS /riˈoʊpənd/
past form of “reopen” — open again or anew
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
royaladjectiveUS /ˈrɔɪəl/
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
seamennounUS /ˈsiːmən/
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
semi-circle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BATTLE CONTINUED.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The enemy, encouraged by their success, closed in upon us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
unluckyadjectiveUS /ənˈlʌki/
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading An unlucky shot struck one of our seamen and cut off his head.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A perfect storm of shot rained upon us, so destroying our hurricane-deck that it was no longer of any protection to us.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The royal fleet formed a wide semi-circle a mile off, and reopened its guns upon us.
