used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
(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 All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
bearingsnounUS /ˈberɪŋz/
plural of “bearing” — relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
blazingadjectiveUS /ˈbleɪzɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
bonfirenounUS /ˈbɑːnfaɪər/
a large outdoor fire that is lighted as a signal or in celebration
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
breakersnounUS /ˈbreɪkərz/
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
curiouslyadverbUS /ˈkjʊriəsli/
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
destroyed or killed
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
HawknounUS /hɔːk/
diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
held dear
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
Majesty'snounUS /ˈmædʒəstiz/
possessive form of “majesty” — impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
by chance
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
predominatedverbUS /prɪˈdɑːməneɪtɪd/
past form of “predominate” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
quarterdecknounUS /ˈkwɔːrtərdek/
the stern area of a ship's upper deck
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
seasnounUS /siːz/
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
sloopnounUS /sluːp/
a sailing vessel with a single mast set about one third of the boat's length aft of the bow
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
having a supporting base
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
StuartnounUS /ˈstuːərt/
United States painter best known for his portraits of George Washington (1755-1828)
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All bearings were gone, and then the signs showed breakers.
at the time that
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
Whyte
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The _Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terrible time that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himself with her.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading BACK TO THE WORLD Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the scene about him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of a great bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this was perhaps the worst.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He was a young officer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity.
