used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
AfricanadjectiveUS /ˈæfrəkən/
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
Calabar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
flag-ship
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
destroyed or killed
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
gunboatsnounUS /ˈɡʌnboʊts/
plural of “gunboat” — a small shallow-draft boat carrying mounted guns; used by costal patrols
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
and nothing more
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
NavynounUS /ˈneɪvi/
an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
nervenounUS /nɜːrv/
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
observesverbUS /əbˈzɜːrvz/
third-person singular of “observe” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
obviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
qualifyingnounUS /ˈkwɑːləfaɪɪŋ/
the grammatical relation that exists when a word qualifies the meaning of the phrase
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
To recall to mind.
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
Identical; not different.
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
unusual or striking
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
sparverbUS /spɑːr/
furnish with spars
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
surgeonnounUS /ˈsɜːrdʒən/
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading On the same day a man's leg was broken by a spar falling upon it, and it became quite obvious that it must be taken off above the knee if his life was to be saved.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "We were talking about nerve just now," observes the surgeon.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
at the time that
From this reading One of our small gunboats had gone up the Calabar river, and when there the surgeon died of coast fever.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I was on the flag-ship on the West African Station, and I remember a singular example of nerve which came to my notice at that time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Just, after my qualifying I served in the Navy for a time, as I think you know.
