used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
blinkedverbUS /blɪŋkt/
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
the act of breaking something
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
cleaving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
the first light of day
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
floes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stirling rubbed his eyes and listened.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
leadenadjectiveUS /ˈledən/
darkened with overcast
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Stirling rubbed his eyes and listened.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
oilyadjectiveUS /ˈɔɪli/
containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
packsnounUS /pæks/
plural of “pack” — a large indefinite number
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
patchesnounUS /ˈpætʃəz/
plural of “patch” — a small contrasting part of something
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
PolenounUS /poʊl/
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
portholenoun
a window in a ship or airplane
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
ripplenounUS /ˈrɪpəl/
a small wave on the surface of a liquid
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading Stirling rubbed his eyes and listened.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
sealsnounUS /siːlz/
plural of “seal” — fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
slicknounUS /slɪk/
a slippery smoothness
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
sportedverbUS /ˈspɔːrtɪd/
past form of “sport” — wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
Star'snounUS /stɑːrz/
possessive form of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
stemnounUS /stem/
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
Stirling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the porthole.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
whalenounUS /weɪl/
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
at the time that
From this reading When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean of dreams.
in or at the place that
From this reading A ripple showed where the _Pole Star’s_ sharp stem was cleaving the surface.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea.
