used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
breastingverbUS /ˈbrestɪŋ/
-ing form of “breast” — meet at breast level
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
clutchingverbUS /ˈklʌtʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
decksnounUS /deks/
plural of “deck” — any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
heelingverbUS /ˈhiːlɪŋ/
-ing form of “heel” — tilt to one side
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
not in physical motion
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
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 There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
shadedadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪdɪd/
protected from heat and light with shade or shadow
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
transport commercially
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
snoringnounUS /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/
the act of snoring or producing a snoring sound
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
spars
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
steadfastadjectiveUS /ˈstedfæst/
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
steadfastnessnounUS /ˈstedfæstnəs/
loyalty in the face of trouble and difficulty
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
not in physical motion
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
the rays of the sun
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
in or at that place or location
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
THIEFnounUS /θiːf/
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From away out there a hand seemed to have reached clutching at his heart.
precisely as stated
From this reading The star so steadfast and so still held him by its very stillness and steadfastness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT It was a sail.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
in or at the place that
From this reading There, where the sunlight showed that motionless point of light were crowded decks, bending spars, snoring sails, life, motion; a ship breasting her way through the blue sea, heeling to the breeze.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He stood with his eyes still shaded, motionless but for the movement of the boat.
