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Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Chapter LXXIV · The Sperm Whale’S Head—Contrasted View

The Sperm Whale’S Head—Contrasted View, section 1: Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own. Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whal
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.
Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.
They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.
To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.
As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Chapter LXXIV · The Sperm Whale’S Head—Contrasted View

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.
Line 2
Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.
Line 3
They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.
Line 4
To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.
Line 5
As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

here noun US /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.”

Collocations
Here nowA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
now areA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 84

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

better

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

cetology

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

chance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

deck

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

difference

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

external

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

extremes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

far

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

folio

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

freely

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

go

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

grand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

hanging

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

head

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

heads

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

HerenounUS /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

hunted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

join

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

known

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

lay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

laying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

leviathans

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

mainly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

merely

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

moment

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

most

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

Nantucketer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

noteworthy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

now

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

observable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

obtainverbUS /əbˈteɪn/

to get something, especially through effort

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

other

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

own

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

Pequod's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

practical

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

present

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

regularly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.

RightnounUS /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

side

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

Sperm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

stepping

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

study

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They are the only whales regularly hunted by man.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

together

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

varieties

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

Whale

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy.

whales

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here, now, are two great whales, laying their heads together; let us join them, and lay together our own.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod’s side; and as we may freely go from one to the other, by merely stepping across the deck:—where, I should like to know, will you obtain a better chance to study practical cetology than here?