used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
anew
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
at or in the front
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
put or send forth
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
driedadjectiveUS /draɪd/
not still wet
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
Floyd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
a long fixed look
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
and nothing more
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
lagoonnounUS /ləˈɡuːn/
a body of water cut off from a larger body by a reef of sand or coral
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
mastnounUS /mæst/
a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
the middle of the day
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
on one occasion
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
palenessnoun
unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
palmsnounUS /pɑːmz/
plural of “palm” — the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
relinquishingnounUS /riˈlɪŋkwɪʃɪŋ/
a verbal act of renouncing a claim or right or position etc.
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
shelteringverbUS /ˈʃeltərɪŋ/
-ing form of “shelter” — provide shelter for
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
be standing; be upright
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
supportingadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/
furnishing support and encouragement
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
sweatnounUS /swet/
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading The sight of it dried his lips and made the sweat stand out on the palms of his hands; then, taking his place again at the tiller, he resumed his course.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
tillernounUS /ˈtɪlər/
a shoot that sprouts from the base of a grass
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE ISLAND About an hour before noon Floyd, relinquishing the tiller, stood up and, supporting himself by the mast, looked around.
directed up
From this reading Once before he had seen a bit of sky like that, and he guessed it at once to be the reflection cast upward from a lagoon island.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sea line at one point was broken, and the sky just above the broken point had a curious and brilliant paleness.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, sheltering his eyes with his hand, he fixed his gaze straight ahead.
