used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
afloatadjectiveUS /əˈfloʊt/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
aloftadverbUS /əˈlɔːft/
at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
Blennynoun
small usually scaleless fishes with comb-like teeth living about rocky shores; are territorial and live in holes between rocks
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
make calm or still
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
criticaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
start firing a weapon
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
frigatenounUS /ˈfrɪɡət/
a medium size square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
HudsonnounUS /ˈhʌdsən/
a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
juncturenounUS /ˈdʒʌŋktʃər/
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
junks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
conformity or harmony
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
engage in
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
mast-head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
salutedverbUS /səˈluːtɪd/
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
southwardadverbUS /ˈsaʊθwərd/
toward the south
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
not in physical motion
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It at this critical juncture fell perfectly calm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She and the frigate instantly made sail to the southward.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In a few hours the sound of an occasional shot saluted their ears and gave them hopes that the _Blenny_ was still afloat and able to defend herself.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
which person or people
From this reading Captain Hudson, who had come on board the frigate and gone aloft, now returned on deck.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading As they got nearer, they could make her out from the mast-head, amid a wide circle of junks which were keeping up a distant fire at her.
