Moby Dick; Or, The Whale — Page 12

Vocabulary

marinaio

A sailor or seaman who works on ships

sedeva

Was sitting; past imperfect of 'sedere'

nelle

Contraction of 'in le', meaning 'in the' (plural)

notte

Night; the period of darkness after sunset

vento

Wind; moving air in the atmosphere

soffiava

Was blowing; past imperfect of 'soffiare'

libero

Free, unrestrained, or unobstructed

Ora

Now; at the present moment

brillante

Bright, shining, or brilliant in appearance

fioca

Faint, dim, or weak in light or sound

era

Was; past imperfect of 'essere' (to be)

pallida

Pale, wan, or lacking color (feminine form)

luce

Light; illumination from a natural or artificial source

lunare

Lunar; relating to or resembling the moon

fosforo

Phosphorus; element producing bioluminescent glow in water

brillava

Was shining or gleaming; past imperfect of 'brillare'

nella

Contraction of 'in la', meaning 'in the' (feminine)

scia

Wake; trail left by a moving vessel or animal

della

Contraction of 'di la', meaning 'of the' (feminine)

balena

Whale; large marine mammal of the order Cetacea

mentre

While; during the time that something else happens

essa

She or it; third-person singular feminine pronoun

si

Reflexive pronoun meaning 'itself', 'oneself', or 'herself'

nel

Contraction of 'in il', meaning 'in the' (masculine)

mare

Sea; large body of saltwater

quantità

Quantity; amount or number of something measured

cima

Rope; line used on boats, or a mountaintop

ritirata

Retrieved, withdrawn, or pulled back (feminine past participle)

dalle

Contraction of 'da le', meaning 'from the' (plural)

imbarcazioni

Boats or watercraft; vessels used for water transport

impegnate

Engaged, involved, or committed (feminine plural past participle)

cattura

Capture; the act of catching or seizing something

sola

Alone, sole, or only (feminine singular adjective)

complessivamente

Overall, in total, or collectively taken together

ossia

That is, or rather; used to clarify or rephrase

quasi

Almost, nearly, or approximately but not quite

sei

Six; the number 6

miglia

Miles; plural of 'miglio', unit of distance measurement

inglesi

English; relating to England or its people

volte

Times; occasions or instances of something occurring

agita

Shakes, waves, or agitates; third-person singular present

sua

His, her, or its (possessive adjective, feminine singular)

tremenda

Tremendous, dreadful, or terrifying (feminine singular adjective)

coda

Tail; rear appendage of an animal

aria

Air; the gaseous atmosphere surrounding the earth

come

Like, as, or how; used for comparison or manner

frusta

Whip; instrument used to strike with a lash

fino

Until or up to; indicating a limit or boundary

alla

Contraction of 'a la', meaning 'to the' (feminine)

distanza

Distance; the space between two points or places

tre

Three; the number 3

quattro

Four; the number 4

Reso

Made or rendered; past participle of 'rendere'

folle

Mad, crazy, or insane; out of rational control

agonie

Agonies; intense physical or mental suffering (plural)

subisce

Undergoes or suffers; third-person singular present of 'subire'

questi

These (masculine plural demonstrative adjective or pronoun)

nuovi

New (masculine plural adjective); recently made or discovered

attacchi

Attacks; aggressive actions against someone or something

Capodoglio

Sperm whale; large toothed whale hunted historically

infuriato

Enraged or furious; extremely angry (past participle)

rivolta

Turns around or revolts; reverses direction or rebels

più

More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree

enorme

Enormous, huge, or immense in size

testa

Head; the uppermost part of a body

spalancate

Wide open; fully opened (feminine plural past participle)

scatta

Lunges or snaps; moves suddenly and quickly forward

verso

Toward; preposition indicating direction or movement

tutto

Everything or all; referring to the whole totality

ciò

That, this; neuter demonstrative pronoun referring to things

lo

Him or it; masculine singular direct object pronoun

circonda

Surrounds; encircles on all sides (third-person singular)

lancia

Hurls or launches; throws with force toward a target

contro

Against; preposition indicating opposition or collision

esse

Them; feminine third-person plural pronoun (formal)

vengono

They come or are; third-person plural of 'venire'

spinte

Pushed or shoved; feminine plural past participle of 'spingere'

davanti

In front of; indicating position ahead of something

lui

Him or he; masculine third-person singular pronoun

immensa

Immense, vast, or enormous (feminine singular adjective)

velocità

Speed or velocity; rate of movement through space

talvolta

Sometimes, occasionally; at certain times but not always

completamente

Completely, totally, or entirely without exception

distrutte

Destroyed; completely ruined (feminine plural past participle)

motivo

Reason, motive, or cause behind an action or feeling

grande

Great, large, or big; impressive in size or degree

stupore

Astonishment or amazement; a state of stunned surprise

considerazione

Consideration; careful thought or regard for something

delle

Contraction of 'di le', meaning 'of the' (feminine plural)

abitudini

Habits or customs; regular patterns of behavior

animale

Animal; a living organism other than a plant

così

So, thus, or in this way; indicating manner or degree

interessante

Interesting; arousing curiosity or holding attention

da

From, by, or since; a versatile Italian preposition

punto

Point; a specific location, moment, or aspect

vista

View or sight; visual perspective or point of observation

commerciale

Commercial; relating to trade or business activities

importante

Important; of great significance or consequence

sia

May be; subjunctive form of 'essere' expressing uncertainty

stata

Been; feminine past participle of 'essere' (to be)

del

Contraction of 'di il', meaning 'of the' (masculine)

trascurata

Neglected or overlooked; not given proper attention

abbia

May have; present subjunctive of 'avere' (to have)

suscitato

Aroused or stirred up; provoked interest or emotion

poca

Little, few, or not much (feminine singular adjective)

curiosità

Curiosity; desire to learn or know about something

tra

Among or between; preposition indicating position or relation

numerosi

Numerous, many; existing in large numbers

molti

Many; a large quantity or number (masculine plural)

essi

They; masculine third-person plural subject pronoun

competenti

Competent, skilled, or qualified (masculine plural adjective)

osservatori

Observers; people who watch and study carefully

negli

Contraction of 'in gli', meaning 'in the' (masculine plural)

ultimi

Last or latest; most recent (masculine plural adjective)

anni

Years; plural of 'anno', a unit of time

devono

Must or have to; third-person plural of 'dovere'

aver

To have; infinitive form 'avere' used in compounds

avuto

Had; past participle of 'avere' (to have)

abbondanti

Abundant, plentiful; existing in large quantities

favorevoli

Favorable; advantageous or supporting a positive outcome

opportunità

Opportunities; favorable circumstances for achieving something

assistere

To witness or attend; to be present at an event

alle

Contraction of 'a le', meaning 'to the' (feminine plural)

loro

Their, them, or they; third-person plural pronoun/possessive

Storia

History or story; a narrative of past events