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

Chapter CXXVIII · The Pequod Meets The Rachel

The Pequod Meets The Rachel, section 1: Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men. At the time the Pequod was making good speed thr
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.
At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.
“Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.
But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.
“Hast seen the White Whale?”
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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 CXXVIII · The Pequod Meets The Rachel

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.
Line 2
At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.
Line 3
“Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.
Line 4
But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.
Line 5
“Hast seen the White Whale?”

Learner Dictionary

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

next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.”

Collocations
Next dayA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
day aA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 79

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 Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

Ahab's

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

all

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

Bad

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

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

bearing

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

bladders

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

blank

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

boastful

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

boat

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

brings

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

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

broad-winged

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

burst

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

clustering

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

commander

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

day

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

descried

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

directlynounUS /ˈdirectly/

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

down

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

fell

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

fled

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

hail

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

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 But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

heard

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

hopefully

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

hull

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

large

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

making

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

Manxman

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

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

men

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

mouth

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

mutteredverbUS /ˈmʌtərd/

spoke in a low voice that was difficult to hear

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

news

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

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

NextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

nigh

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

old

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

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

Pequod

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

Rachel

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

sails

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

seen

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

From this reading “Hast seen the White Whale?”

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman.

shipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

shot

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

smitten

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

spars

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

speed

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

stranger

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

thickly

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

together

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

trumpet

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

up

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

voice

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

From this reading But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.

water

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

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 But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.

windwardnounUS /ˈwindward/

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

From this reading At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men.