used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
Adair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
anew
From this reading The gun was quickly sponged and again loaded.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jerry elevated the gun, and pulled the trigger.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
ArabsnounUS /ˈærəbz/
plural of “arab” — a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
dhow's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
elevatedadjectiveUS /ˈeləveɪtɪd/
raised above the ground
From this reading Jerry elevated the gun, and pulled the trigger.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
freshenverbUS /ˈfreʃən/
make (to feel) fresh
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Jerry elevated the gun, and pulled the trigger.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
cause to move by striking
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
be the source of pain
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
JerrynounUS /ˈdʒeri/
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Jerry elevated the gun, and pulled the trigger.
loadedadjectiveUS /ˈloʊdɪd/
filled with a great quantity
From this reading The gun was quickly sponged and again loaded.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
mastnounUS /mæst/
a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
cause to move by pulling
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Jerry elevated the gun, and pulled the trigger.
with speed
From this reading The gun was quickly sponged and again loaded.
rascallyadjective
playful in an appealingly bold way
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
precisely, exactly
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
except for; apart from
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
spongedverbUS /spʌndʒd/
past form of “sponge” — wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading The gun was quickly sponged and again loaded.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Fire over her," answered Adair; "a shot might chance to hurt some of the poor slaves, instead of the rascally Arabs."
triggerverbUS /ˈtrɪɡər/
put in motion or move to act
From this reading Jerry elevated the gun, and pulled the trigger.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
windwardnounUS /ˈwɪndwərd/
the direction from which the wind is coming
From this reading Away flew the shot right through the dhow's huge sail; but her crew, looking to windward, fancied that the breeze was about to freshen.
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 "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Try another shot," cried Adair; "if you can hit the yard or mast, it will save us a long pull."
