Chapter X · Chapter 10

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

a small vessel for travel on water

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

plural of “canoe” — small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

a grouping of a number of similar things

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

the boundary of a surface

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

deeply involved especially in something complicated

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

third-person singular of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

immediately past

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

not compact or dense in structure or arrangement

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

above and across; more than

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

by chance

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

with speed

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

plural of “rapid” — a part of a river where the current is very fast

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

plural of “right” — an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

the act of firing a projectile

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

plural of “shudder” — an almost pleasurable sensation of fright

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

a disinclination to work or exert yourself

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

plural of “strain” — (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

plural of “sway” — controlling influence

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

plural of “sweep” — a wide scope

From this reading You know how it goes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and more quickly.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

up to a particular time

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

the upper part of anything

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

an artifact designed to be played with

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

disease of livestock and especially cattle poisoned by eating certain kinds of snakeroot

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

plural of “upset” — an unhappy and worried mental state

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

under normal conditions

From this reading Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains and trembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rights itself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually to be entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn.

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

a steep descent of the water of a river

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

in the company of; together with

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing

From this reading This is what happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading THE GREAT SLOTH You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made a dam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rose nearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made a waterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it.