used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
in addition
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
bos'nnoun
a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
dustingverbUS /ˈdʌstɪŋ/
-ing form of “dust” — remove the dust from
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
extraadjectiveUS /ˈekstrə/
more than is needed, desired, or required
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "The glass is rising far too rapidly.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
for'ard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading "The glass is rising far too rapidly.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
ill-definedadjective
poorly stated or described
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The glass is rising far too rapidly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
jerkingnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrkɪŋ/
an abrupt spasmodic movement
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
jibs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
lashingsnounUS /ˈlæʃɪŋz/
a large number or amount
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
engage in
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
mirk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
with speed
From this reading "The glass is rising far too rapidly.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
free from harm or evil
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading "The glass is rising far too rapidly.
salutedverbUS /səˈluːtɪd/
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
get by special effort
From this reading Make everything secure on deck, and put extra lashings on the boats.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
term of address for a man
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
THERE'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
thumbnounUS /θʌm/
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "The glass is rising far too rapidly.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And also," he added, as the bos'n saluted and began to make his way for'ard, "have the jibs changed before it gets too thick."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
WilkinsnounUS /ˈwɪlkɪnz/
United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A RESCUE AT SEA "THERE'S a power o' wind behind that mirk, sir," exclaimed Wilkins, the bos'n, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dark, ill-defined clouds that had shut out the sight of land.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, we are in for a good dusting," replied my father.
