used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRANGE SIGHT ON THE SEA.
agold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
at or in the front
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
bellsnounUS /belz/
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
boomverbUS /buːm/
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
chalkyadjective
composed of or containing or resembling calcium carbonate or calcite or chalk
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
ChannelnounUS /ˈtʃænəl/
a path over which electrical signals can pass
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
cliffsnounUS /klɪfs/
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
fickleadjectiveUS /ˈfɪkəl/
marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
flownounUS /floʊ/
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
hazenounUS /heɪz/
atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
ten 10s
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
IslenounUS /aɪl/
a small island
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
lazilyadverbUS /ˈlæzəli/
in a slow and lazy manner
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
mainsailnoun
the lowermost sail on the mainmast
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A STRANGE SIGHT ON THE SEA.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
rockingverbUS /ˈrɑːkɪŋ/
-ing form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
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 yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
cut with a saw
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A STRANGE SIGHT ON THE SEA.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading A STRANGE SIGHT ON THE SEA.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
starboardnounUS /ˈstɑːrbərd/
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A STRANGE SIGHT ON THE SEA.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
swellverbUS /swel/
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A STRANGE SIGHT ON THE SEA.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
twenty-fouradjectiveUS /ˈtwentifɔːr/
being four more than twenty
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
unbrokenadjectiveUS /ənˈbroʊkən/
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
look attentively
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had been out twenty-four hours, and had not made a couple of hundred miles.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
WightnounUS /waɪt/
a human being; “wight” is an archaic term
From this reading Two points west of north to starboard I saw the chalky cliffs of the Isle of Wight faint through the haze, but away ahead the Channel opened out as an unbroken sea.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was on the morning of the second day; three bells in the watch; the wind playing fickle from east by south, and the sea agold with the light of an August sun.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
yachtnounUS /jɑːt/
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading The yacht lay without life in her sails, the flow of the swell beating lazily upon her, and the great mainsail rocking on the boom.
