used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
aidedadjectiveUS /ˈeɪdəd/
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
a youthful male person
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
desperationnounUS /ˌdespərˈeɪʃən/
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
embarkedverbUS /emˈbɑːrkt/
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
franticallyadverbUS /ˈfræntəkəli/
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
hoistedverbUS /ˈhɔɪstəd/
past form of “hoist” — raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
ten 10s
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
iron-pronged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
the force of workers available
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
oarnounUS /ɔːr/
an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
polingverbUS /ˈpoʊlɪŋ/
-ing form of “pole” — propel with a pole
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
rapiditynounUS /rəˈpɪdəti/
a rate that is rapid
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
rowedverbUS /roʊd/
past form of “row” — propel with oars
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
seizingnounUS /ˈsiːzɪŋ/
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading The big man with the iron-pronged stick, seizing an oar, rowed frantically.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And as a little breeze filled the hoisted sail, they swung on to the opposite shore at a point far lower down than they had embarked.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was this circumstance which saved their lives.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
wool-dealers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the wool-dealers aided him by poling with desperation until the water became too deep.
plural of “yard” — 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 The river was less than a hundred yards wide here, and the five men and the boy had enough skill to get the boat across with rapidity.
