used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
at or in the front
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
AmelianounUS /əˈmiːljə/
congenital absence of an arm or leg
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
backstays
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Shall we take the yards off the backstays, sir?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
elbownounUS /ˈelboʊ/
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
conformity or harmony
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
lanyardnounUS /ˈlænjərd/
a cord with an attached hook that is used to fire certain types of cannon
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
without good reason
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
MediterraneannounUS /ˌmedətərˈeɪniən/
the largest inland sea; between Europe and Africa and Asia
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
any competition
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
railnounUS /reɪl/
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
rubverbUS /rʌb/
move over something with pressure
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Shall we take the yards off the backstays, sir?”
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
speaking-trumpet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
specknounUS /spek/
a very small spot
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
carry out
From this reading “Shall we take the yards off the backstays, sir?”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
to-day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And it will be dark early to-day,” said the first lieutenant, swinging the speaking-trumpet by its lanyard.
Vincent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “After all,” he went on, “properly speaking, it is a race between the _Amelia_ and the night.”
a Caucasian
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “We will have him in less than an hour,” said Captain Vincent, and made as if he meant to rub his hands, but suddenly leaned his elbow on the rail.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “Shall we take the yards off the backstays, sir?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, keeping his eyes on the white speck ahead, dancing lightly on the short Mediterranean waves, “he is keeping off the wind.”
