Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Chapter C · Leg And Arm. The Pequod, Of Nantucket, Meets The Samuel Enderby, Of London

Leg And Arm. The Pequod, Of Nantucket, Meets The Samuel Enderby, Of London, section 1: “Ship, ahoy! Hast seen the White Whale?” So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern. Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Ship, ahoy!
Hast seen the White Whale?”
So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.
Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.
He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 C · Leg And Arm. The Pequod, Of Nantucket, Meets The Samuel Enderby, Of London

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“Ship, ahoy!
Line 2
Hast seen the White Whale?”
Line 3
So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.
Line 4
Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.
Line 5
He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

Learner Dictionary

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

ship noun US /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Ship, ahoy!”

Collocations
Ship ahoyA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
ahoy HastA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 75

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 So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

Ahab

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

ahoy

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

From this reading “Ship, ahoy!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

arm

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

bearing

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

blue

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

boat's

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

bow

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

broidered

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

burly

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

captainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

carelessly

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

colors

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

criednounUS /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

darkly-tanned

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

down

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

dressed

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

empty

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

English

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

festoons

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

fine-looking

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

good-natured

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

hailing

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

Hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading Hast seen the White Whale?”

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

hoisted

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

hung

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

huzzar's

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

ivory

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

jacket

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

leg

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

like

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

man

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

more

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

mouth

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

old

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

once

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

own

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

pilot-cloth

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

plainlynounUS /ˈplainly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

quarter-boat

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

reclining

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

revealed

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

round

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

roundabout

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

seen

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

From this reading Hast seen the White Whale?”

ShipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Ship, ahoy!

showing

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

sixty

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

spacious

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

standingnounUS /ˈstanding/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

stern

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

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

stranger

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

streamed

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

surcoat

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Hast seen the White Whale?”

thereabouts

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading He was a darkly-tanned, burly, good-natured, fine-looking man, of sixty or thereabouts, dressed in a spacious roundabout, that hung round him in festoons of blue pilot-cloth; and one empty arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

Trumpet

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading So cried Ahab, once more hailing a ship showing English colors, bearing down under the stern.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.

Whale

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

From this reading Hast seen the White Whale?”

White

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

From this reading Hast seen the White Whale?”

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Trumpet to mouth, the old man was standing in his hoisted quarter-boat, his ivory leg plainly revealed to the stranger captain, who was carelessly reclining in his own boat’s bow.