The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section S (part 2 of 7)

The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section S (part 2 of 7)

Scur"rit (?), n. (Zoöl.) The lesser tern (Sterna minuta). [Prov. Eng.]

Scur"ry (?), v. i. [Cf. Scur, Skirr.] To hasten away or along; to move rapidly; to hurry; as, the rabbit scurried away.

Scur"ry, n. Act of scurrying; hurried movement.

Scur"vi*ly (?), adv. In a scurvy manner.

Scur"vi*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being scurvy; vileness; meanness.

Scur"vy (?), a. [Compar. Scurvier (?); superl. Scurviest.] [From Scurf; cf. Scurvy, n.] 1. Covered or affected with scurf or scabs; scabby; scurfy; specifically, diseased with the scurvy. "Whatsoever man . . . be scurvy or scabbed." Lev. xxi. 18, 20.

2. Vile; mean; low; vulgar; contemptible. "A scurvy trick." Ld. Lytton.

That scurvy custom of taking tobacco.

Swift.

[He] spoke spoke such scurvy and provoking terms.

Shak.

Scur"vy, n. [Probably from the same source as scorbute, but influenced by scurf, scurfy, scurvy, adj.; cf. D. scheurbuik scurvy, G. scharbock, LL. scorbutus. Cf. Scorbute.] (Med.) A disease characterized by livid spots, especially about the thighs and legs, due to extravasation of blood, and by spongy gums, and bleeding from almost all the mucous membranes. It is accompanied by paleness, languor, depression, and general debility. It is occasioned by confinement, innutritious food, and hard labor, but especially by lack of fresh vegetable food, or confinement for a long time to a limited range of food, which is incapable of repairing the waste of the system. It was formerly prevalent among sailors and soldiers.

Scurvy grass [Scurvy + grass; or cf. Icel. skarfakl scurvy grass.] (Bot.) A kind of cress (Cochlearia officinalis) growing along the seacoast of Northern Europe and in arctic regions. It is a remedy for the scurvy, and has proved a valuable food to arctic explorers. The name is given also to other allied species of plants.

Scut (?), n. [Cf. Icel. skott a fox's tail. √ 159.] [Obs.] The tail of a hare, or of a deer, or other animal whose tail is short, esp. when carried erect; hence, sometimes, the animal itself. "He ran like a scut." Skelton.

How the Indian hare came to have a long tail, whereas that part in others attains no higher than a scut.

Sir T. Browne.

My doe with the black scut.

Shak.

||Scu"ta (?), n. pl. See Scutum.

Scu"tage (?; 48), n. [LL. scutagium, from L. scutum a shield.] (Eng. Hist.) Shield money; commutation of service for a sum of money. See Escuage.

Scu"tal (?), a. Of or pertaining to a shield.

A good example of these scutal monstrosities.

Cussans.

Scu"tate (?), a. [L. scutatus armed with a shield, from scutum a shield.] 1. Buckler-shaped; round or nearly round.

2. (Zoöl.) Protected or covered by bony or horny plates, or large scales.

Scutch (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scutched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Scutching.] [See Scotch to cut slightly.] 1. To beat or whip; to drub. [Old or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

2. To separate the woody fiber from (flax, hemp, etc.) by beating; to swingle.

3. To loosen and dress the fiber of (cotton or silk) by beating; to free (fibrous substances) from dust by beating and blowing.

Scutching machine, a machine used to scutch cotton, silk, or flax; -- called also batting machine.

Scutch, n. 1. A wooden instrument used in scutching flax and hemp.

2. The woody fiber of flax; the refuse of scutched flax. "The smoke of the burning scutch." Cuthbert Bede.

Scutch"eon (?), n. [Aphetic form of escutcheon.] 1. An escutcheon; an emblazoned shield. Bacon.

The corpse lay in state, with all the pomp of scutcheons, wax lights, black hangings, and mutes.

Macaulay.

2. A small plate of metal, as the shield around a keyhole. See Escutcheon, 4.

Scutch"eoned (?), a. Emblazoned on or as a shield.

Scutcheoned panes in cloisters old.

Lowell.

Scutch"er (?), n. 1. One who scutches.

2. An implement or machine for scutching hemp, flax, or cotton, etc.; a scutch; a scutching machine.

Scutch" grass` (?). (Bot.) A kind of pasture grass (Cynodon Dactylon). See Bermuda grass: also Illustration in Appendix.

Scute (?), n. [L. scutum a shield, a buckler. See Scudo.] 1. A small shield. [Obs.] Skelton.

2. An old French gold coin of the value of 3s. 4d. sterling, or about 80 cents.

3. (Zoöl.) A bony scale of a reptile or fish; a large horny scale on the leg of a bird, or on the belly of a snake.

||Scu*tel"la (?), n. pl. See Scutellum.

||Scu*tel"la, n.; pl. Scutellæ (#). [NL., fem. dim. of L. scutum.] ||(Zoöl.) See Scutellum, n., 2.

{ Scu"tel*late (?), Scu"tel*la`ted (?) }, a. [L. scutella a dish, salver. Cf. Scuttle a basket.] 1. (Zoöl.) Formed like a plate or salver; composed of platelike surfaces; as, the scutellated bone of a sturgeon. Woodward.

2. [See Scutellum.] (Zoöl.) Having the tarsi covered with broad transverse scales, or scutella; -- said of certain birds.

Scu`tel*la"tion (?), n. (Zoöl.) The entire covering, or mode of arrangement, of scales, as on the legs and feet of a bird.

Scu*tel"li*form (?), a. [L. scutella a dish + -form.] 1. Scutellate.

2. (Bot.) Having the form of a scutellum.

Scu*tel`li*plan"tar (?), a. [L. scutellus a shield + planta foot.] (Zoöl.) Having broad scutella on the front, and small scales on the posterior side, of the tarsus; -- said of certain birds.

||Scu*tel"lum (?), n.; pl. Scutella (#). [NL., neut. dim. of L. scutum ||a shield.] 1. (Bot.) A rounded apothecium having an elevated rim ||formed of the proper thallus, the fructification of certain lichens.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The third of the four pieces forming the upper part of a thoracic segment of an insect. It follows the scutum, and is followed by the small postscutellum; a scutella. See Thorax. (b) One of the transverse scales on the tarsi and toes of birds; a scutella.

Scu"ti*branch (?), a. (Zoöl.) Scutibranchiate. -- n. One of the Scutibranchiata.

||Scu`ti*bran"chi*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) Same as Scutibranchiata.

Scu`ti*bran"chi*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Scutibranchiata.

||Scu`ti*bran`chi*a"ta (?), n. pl. [NL. See Scutum, and Branchia.] ||(Zoöl.) An order of gastropod Mollusca having a heart with two ||auricles and one ventricle. The shell may be either spiral or ||shieldlike.

It is now usually regarded as including only the Rhipidoglossa and the Docoglossa. When originally established, it included a heterogenous group of mollusks having shieldlike shells, such as Haliotis, Fissurella, Carinaria, etc.

Scu`ti*bran"chi*ate (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having the gills protected by a shieldlike shell; of or pertaining to the Scutibranchiata. -- n. One of the Scutibranchiata.

Scu*tif"er*ous (?), a. [L. scutum shield + -ferous.] Carrying a shield or buckler.

Scu"ti*form (?), a. [L. scutum shield + -form: cf. F. scutiforme.] Shield-shaped; scutate.

||Scu"ti*ger (?), n. [NL., fr. L. scutum shield + gerere to bear.] ||(Zoöl.) Any species of chilopod myriapods of the genus Scutigera. ||They sometimes enter buildings and prey upon insects.

Scu"ti*ped (?), a. [L. scutum a shield + pes, pedis, a foot: cf. F. scutipède.] (Zoöl.) Having the anterior surface of the tarsus covered with scutella, or transverse scales, in the form of incomplete bands terminating at a groove on each side; -- said of certain birds.

Scut"tle (?), n. [AS. scutel a dish, platter; cf. Icel. skutill; both fr. L. scutella, dim. of scutra, scuta, a dish or platter; cf. scutum a shield. Cf. Skillet.] 1. A broad, shallow basket.

2. A wide-mouthed vessel for holding coal: a coal hod.

Scut"tle, v. i. [For scuddle, fr. scud.] To run with affected precipitation; to hurry; to bustle; to scuddle.

With the first dawn of day, old Janet was scuttling about the house to wake the baron.

Sir W. Scott.

Scut"tle, n. A quick pace; a short run. Spectator.

Scut"tle (?), n. [OF. escoutille, F. éscoutille, cf. Sp. escotilla; probably akin to Sp. escotar to cut a thing so as to make it fit, to hollow a garment about the neck, perhaps originally, to cut a bosom-shaped piece out, and of Teutonic origin; cf. D. schoot lap, bosom, G. schoss, Goth. skauts the hem of a garnment. Cf. Sheet an expanse.] 1. A small opening in an outside wall or covering, furnished with a lid. Specifically: (a) (Naut.) A small opening or hatchway in the deck of a ship, large enough to admit a man, and with a lid for covering it, also, a like hole in the side or bottom of a ship. (b) An opening in the roof of a house, with a lid.

2. The lid or door which covers or closes an opening in a roof, wall, or the like.

Scuttle butt, or Scuttle cask (Naut.), a butt or cask with a large hole in it, used to contain the fresh water for daily use in a ship. Totten.

Scut"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scuttled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Scuttling.] 1. To cut a hole or holes through the bottom, deck, or sides of (as of a ship), for any purpose.

2. To sink by making holes through the bottom of; as, to scuttle a ship.

||Scu"tum (?), n.; pl. Scuta (#). [L.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) An oblong ||shield made of boards or wickerwork covered with leather, with ||sometimes an iron rim; -- carried chiefly by the heavy-armed ||infantry.

2. (O. Eng. Law) A penthouse or awning. [Obs.] Burrill.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) The second and largest of the four parts forming the upper surface of a thoracic segment of an insect. It is preceded by the prescutum and followed by the scutellum. See the Illust. under Thorax. (b) One of the two lower valves of the operculum of a barnacle.

||Scyb"a*la (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. sky`balon dung.] (Med.) Hardened ||masses of feces.

Scye (s), n. Arm scye, a cutter's term for the armhole or part of the armhole of the waist of a garment. [Cant]

Scyle (sl), v. t. [AS. scylan to withdraw or remove.] To hide; to secrete; to conceal. [Obs.]

Scyl"la (?), n. A dangerous rock on the Italian coast opposite the whirpool Charybdis on the coast of Sicily, -- both personified in classical literature as ravenous monsters. The passage between them was formerly considered perilous; hence, the saying "Between Scylla and Charybdis," signifying a great peril on either hand.

||Scyl*læ"a (?), n. [NL. See Scylla.] (Zoöl.) A genus of oceanic ||nudibranchiate mollusks having the small branched gills situated on ||the upper side of four fleshy lateral lobes, and on the median caudal ||crest.

In color and form these mollusks closely imitate the fronds of sargassum and other floating seaweeds among which they live.

Scyl*la"ri*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of a family (Scyllaridæ) of macruran Crustacea, remarkable for the depressed form of the body, and the broad, flat antennæ. Also used adjectively.

Scyl"lite (?), n. (Chem.) A white crystalline substance of a sweetish taste, resembling inosite and metameric with dextrose. It is extracted from the kidney of the dogfish (of the genus Scyllium), the shark, and the skate.

Scym"e*tar (?), n. See Scimiter.

||Scy"pha (?), n.; pl. Scyphae (#). [NL.] (Bot.) See Scyphus, 2 (b).

Scy"phi*form (?), a. [L. scyphus a cup + -form.] (Bot.) Cup-shaped.

||Scy*phis"to*ma (?), n.; pl. Scyphistomata (#), Scyphistomæ (#). [NL., ||fr. Gr. sky`fos a cup + sto`ma the mouth.] (Zoöl.) The young attached ||larva of Discophora in the stage when it resembles a hydroid, or ||actinian.

||Scy`pho*bran"chi*i (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. sky`fos a cup + ||bra`gchion a gill.] (Zoöl.) An order of fishes including the ||blennioid and gobioid fishes, and other related families.

||Scy`pho*me*du"sæ (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. sky`fos cup + NL. medusa.] ||(Zoöl.) Same as Acraspeda, or Discophora.

||Scy*phoph"o*ri (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. sky`fos a cup + fe`rein to ||bear.] (Zoöl.) An order of fresh-water fishes inhabiting tropical ||Africa. They have rudimentary electrical organs on each side of the ||tail.

Scy"phus (?), n.; pl. Scyphi (#). [L., a cup, Gr. sky`fos.] 1. (Antiq.) A kind of large drinking cup, -- used by Greeks and Romans, esp. by poor folk.

2. (Bot.) (a) The cup of a narcissus, or a similar appendage to the corolla in other flowers. (b) A cup-shaped stem or podetium in lichens. Also called scypha. See Illust. of Cladonia pyxidata, under Lichen.

Scythe (s), n. [OE. sithe, AS. sðe, sigðe; akin to Icel. sigðr a sickle, LG. segd, seged, seed, seid, OHG. segansa sickle, scythe, G. sense scythe, and to E. saw a cutting instrument. See Saw.] [Written also sithe and sythe.] 1. An instrument for mowing grass, grain, or the like, by hand, composed of a long, curving blade, with a sharp edge, made fast to a long handle, called a snath, which is bent into a form convenient for use.

The sharp-edged scythe shears up the spiring grass.

Drayton.

Whatever thing The scythe of Time mows down.

Milton.

2. (Antiq.) A scythe-shaped blade attached to ancient war chariots.

Scythe (?), v. t. To cut with a scythe; to cut off as with a scythe; to mow. [Obs.]

Time had not scythed all that youth begun.

Shak.

Scythed (?), a. Armed with scythes, as a chariot.

Chariots scythed, On thundering axles rolled.

Glover.

Scythe"man (?), n.; pl. Scythemen (&?;). One who uses a scythe; a mower. Macaulay.

Scythe"stone` (?), n. A stone for sharpening scythes; a whetstone.

Scythe"whet` (?), n. (Zoöl.) Wilson's thrush; -- so called from its note. [Local, U.S.]

Scyth"i*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Scythia (a name given to the northern part of Asia, and Europe adjoining to Asia), or its language or inhabitants.

Scythian lamb. (Bot.) See Barometz.

Scyth"i*an, n. 1. A native or inhabitant of Scythia; specifically (Ethnol.), one of a Slavonic race which in early times occupied Eastern Europe.

2. The language of the Scythians.

||Scy`to*der"ma*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a hide + &?; a skin.] ||(Zoöl.) Same as Holothurioidea.

Sdain (?), v. & n. Disdain. [Obs.] Spenser.

'Sdeath (?), interj. [Corrupted fr. God's death.] An exclamation expressive of impatience or anger. Shak.

Sdeign (?), v. t. To disdain. [Obs.]

But either sdeigns with other to partake.

Spenser.

Sea (s), n. [OE. see, AS. s; akin to D. zee, OS. & OHG. so, G. see, OFries. se, Dan. sö, Sw. sjö, Icel. sær, Goth. saiws, and perhaps to L. saevus fierce, savage. √151a.] 1. One of the larger bodies of salt water, less than an ocean, found on the earth's surface; a body of salt water of second rank, generally forming part of, or connecting with, an ocean or a larger sea; as, the Mediterranean Sea; the Sea of Marmora; the North Sea; the Carribean Sea.

2. An inland body of water, esp. if large or if salt or brackish; as, the Caspian Sea; the Sea of Aral; sometimes, a small fresh-water lake; as, the Sea of Galilee.

3. The ocean; the whole body of the salt water which covers a large part of the globe.

I marvel how the fishes live in the sea.

Shak.

Ambiguous between sea and land The river horse and scaly crocodile.

Milton.

4. The swell of the ocean or other body of water in a high wind; motion or agitation of the water's surface; also, a single wave; a billow; as, there was a high sea after the storm; the vessel shipped a sea.

5. (Jewish Antiq.) A great brazen laver in the temple at Jerusalem; -- so called from its size.

He made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof.

2 Chron. iv. 2.

6. Fig.: Anything resembling the sea in vastness; as, a sea of glory. Shak.

All the space . . . was one sea of heads.

Macaulay.

Sea is often used in the composition of words of obvious signification; as, sea-bathed, sea-beaten, sea-bound, sea-bred, sea-circled, sealike, sea-nursed, sea-tossed, sea-walled, sea- worn, and the like. It is also used either adjectively or in combination with substantives; as, sea bird, sea-bird, or seabird, sea acorn, or sea-acorn.

At sea, upon the ocean; away from land; figuratively, without landmarks for guidance; lost; at the mercy of circumstances. "To say the old man was at sea would be too feeble an expression." G. W. Cable -- At full sea at the height of flood tide; hence, at the height. "But now God's mercy was at full sea." Jer. Taylor. -- Beyond seas, or Beyond the sea or the seas (Law), out of the state, territory, realm, or country. Wharton. -- Half seas over, half drunk. [Colloq.] Spectator. -- Heavy sea, a sea in which the waves run high. -- Long sea, a sea characterized by the uniform and steady motion of long and extensive waves. -- Short sea, a sea in which the waves are short, broken, and irregular, so as to produce a tumbling or jerking motion. -- To go to sea, to adopt the calling or occupation of a sailor.

Sea" a"corn (?). (Zoöl.) An acorn barnacle (Balanus).

Sea" ad"der (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The European fifteen-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus spinachia); -- called also bismore. (b) The European tanglefish, or pipefish (Syngnathus acus).

Sea" an"chor (?). (Naut.) See Drag sail, under 4th Drag.

Sea" a*nem"o*ne (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of soft-bodied Anthozoa, belonging to the order Actinaria; an actinian.

They have the oral disk surrounded by one or more circles of simple tapering tentacles, which are often very numerous, and when expanded somewhat resemble the petals of flowers, with colors varied and often very beautiful.

Sea" ape` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The thrasher shark. (b) The sea otter.

Sea" ap"ple (?). (Bot.) The fruit of a West Indian palm (Manicaria Plukenetii), often found floating in the sea. A. Grisebach.

Sea" ar"row (?). (Zoöl.) A squid of the genus Ommastrephes. See Squid.

Sea" bank` (?). 1. The seashore. Shak.

2. A bank or mole to defend against the sea.

Sea"-bar` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A tern.

Sea" bar"row (?). (Zoöl.) A sea purse.

Sea" bass`. (&?;). (Zoöl.) (a) A large marine food fish (Serranus, or Centropristis, atrarius) which abounds on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is dark bluish, with black bands, and more or less varied with small white spots and blotches. Called also, locally, blue bass, black sea bass, blackfish, bluefish, and black perch. (b) A California food fish (Cynoscion nobile); -- called also white sea bass, and sea salmon.

Sea" bat` (?). (Zoöl.) See Batfish (a).

Sea"beach` (?), n. A beach lying along the sea. "The bleak seabeach." Longfellow.

Sea" bean (?). (Bot.) Same as Florida bean.

Sea" bear` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) Any fur seal. See under Fur. (b) The white bear.

Sea"beard` (?), n. (Bot.) A green seaweed (Cladophora rupestris) growing in dense tufts.

Sea" beast` (?). (Zoöl.) Any large marine mammal, as a seal, walrus, or cetacean.

Sea" bird` (?). (Zoöl.) Any swimming bird frequenting the sea; a sea fowl.

Sea" blite` (?). (Bot.) A plant (Suæda maritima) of the Goosefoot family, growing in salt marshes.

Sea"-blub"ber (?), n. (Zoöl.) A jellyfish.

Sea"board` (?), n. [Sea + board, F. bord side.] The seashore; seacoast. Ld. Berners.

Sea"board`, a. Bordering upon, or being near, the sea; seaside; seacoast; as, a seaboard town.

Sea"board`, adv. Toward the sea. [R.]

Sea"boat` (?). [AS. sbt.] 1. A boat or vessel adapted to the open sea; hence, a vessel considered with reference to her power of resisting a storm, or maintaining herself in a heavy sea; as, a good sea boat.

2. (Zoöl.) A chiton.

Sea"bord` (?), n. & a. See Seaboard.

Sea"-bor"der*ing (?), a. Bordering on the sea; situated beside the sea. Drayton.

Sea"-born` (?), a. 1. Born of the sea; produced by the sea. "Neptune and his sea-born niece." Waller.

2. Born at sea.

Sea"bound` (?), a. Bounded by the sea.

Sea" bow` (?). See Marine rainbow, under Rainbow.

Sea" boy` (?). A boy employed on shipboard.

Sea" breach` (?). A breaking or overflow of a bank or a dike by the sea. L'Estrange.

Sea" bream` (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of sparoid fishes, especially the common European species (Pagellus centrodontus), the Spanish (P. Oweni), and the black sea bream (Cantharus lineatus); -- called also old wife.

Sea" brief` (?). Same as Sea letter.

Sea" bug` (?). (Zoöl.) A chiton.

Sea"-built` (?), a. Built at, in, or by the sea.

Sea" but"ter*fly` (?). (Zoöl.) A pteropod.

Sea" cab"bage (?; 48). (Bot.) See Sea kale, under Kale.

Sea" calf` (?). (Zoöl.) The common seal.

Sea" ca*na"ry (?). [So called from a whistling sound which it makes.] (Zoöl.) The beluga, or white whale.

Sea" cap"tain (?). The captain of a vessel that sails upon the sea.

Sea" card` (?). Mariner's card, or compass.

{ Sea" cat`fish (?). Sea" cat` (?). } (Zoöl.) (a) The wolf fish. (b) Any marine siluroid fish, as Ælurichthys marinus, and Arinus felis, of the eastern coast of the United States. Many species are found on the coasts of Central and South America.

Sea" chart` (?). A chart or map on which the lines of the shore, islands, shoals, harbors, etc., are delineated.

Sea" chick"weed` (?). (Bot.) A fleshy plant (Arenaria peploides) growing in large tufts in the sands of the northern Atlantic seacoast; -- called also sea sandwort, and sea purslane.

Sea" clam` (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of the large bivalve mollusks found on the open seacoast, especially those of the family Mactridæ, as the common American species. (Mactra, or Spisula, solidissima); -- called also beach clam, and surf clam.

Sea" coal` (?). Coal brought by sea; -- a name by which mineral coal was formerly designated in the south of England, in distinction from charcoal, which was brought by land.

Sea-coal facing (Founding), facing consisting of pulverized bituminous coal.

Sea"coast` (?), n. The shore or border of the land adjacent to the sea or ocean. Also used adjectively.

Sea" cob` (?). (Zoöl.) The black-backed gull.

Sea" cock` (?). 1. In a steamship, a cock or valve close to the vessel's side, for closing a pipe which communicates with the sea.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The black-bellied plover. (b) A gurnard, as the European red gurnard (Trigla pini).

Sea" co"coa (?). (Bot.) A magnificent palm (Lodoicea Sechellarum) found only in the Seychelles Islands. The fruit is an immense two-lobed nut. It was found floating in the Indian Ocean before the tree was known, and called sea cocoanut, and double cocoanut.

Sea" col"an*der (?). (Bot.) A large blackfish seaweed (Agarum Turneri), the frond of which is punctured with many little holes.

Sea" cole"wort` (?). (Bot.) Sea cabbage.

Sea" com"pass (?). The mariner's compass. See under Compass.

Sea" coot` (?). (Zoöl.) A scoter duck.

Sea" corn` (?). (Zoöl.) A yellow cylindrical mass of egg capsules of certain species of whelks (Buccinum), which resembles an ear of maize.

Sea" cow` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The mantee. (b) The dugong. (c) The walrus.

{ Sea" craw"fish` (?). Sea" cray"fish` (?). } (Zoöl.) Any crustacean of the genus Palinurus and allied genera, as the European spiny lobster (P. vulgaris), which is much used as an article of food. See Lobster.

Sea" crow` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The chough. [Ireland] (b) The cormorant. (c) The blackheaded pewit, and other gulls. (d) The skua. (e) The razorbill. [Orkney Islands] (f) The coot.

Sea" cu"cum*ber (?). (Zoöl.) Any large holothurian, especially one of those belonging to the genus Pentacta, or Cucumaria, as the common American and European species. (P. frondosa).

Sea" dace` (?). (Zoöl.) The European sea perch.

Sea" daf"fo*dil (?). (Bot.) A European amaryllidaceous plant (Pancratium maritimum).

Sea" dev`il (?) (Zoöl.) (a) Any very large ray, especially any species of the genus Manta or Cephaloptera, some of which become more than twenty feet across and weigh several tons. See also Ox ray, under Ox. (b) Any large cephalopod, as a large Octopus, or a giant squid (Architeuthis). See Devilfish. (c) The angler.

Sea" dog` (?). 1. (Zoöl.) The dogfish. (b) The common seal.

2. An old sailor; a salt. [Colloq.]

Sea" dot"ter*el (?). (Zoöl.) The turnstone.

Sea" dove` (?). (Zoöl.) The little auk, or rotche. See Illust. of Rotche.

Sea" drag"on (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A dragonet, or sculpin. (b) The pegasus.

Sea" drake` (?). (Zoöl.) The pewit gull.

Sea" duck` (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of ducks which frequent the seacoasts and feed mainly on fishes and mollusks. The scoters, eiders, old squaw, and ruddy duck are examples. They may be distinguished by the lobate hind toe.

Sea" ea"gle (?). 1. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of fish-eating eagles of the genus Haliæetus and allied genera, as the North Pacific sea eagle (H. pelagicus), which has white shoulders, head, rump, and tail; the European white-tailed eagle (H. albicilla); and the Indian white-tailed sea eagle, or fishing eagle (Polioaëtus ichthyaëtus). The bald eagle and the osprey are also sometimes classed as sea eagles.

2. (Zoöl.) The eagle ray. See under Ray.

Sea"-ear` (s"r`), n. (Zoöl.) Any species of ear-shaped shells of the genus Haliotis. See Abalone.

Sea" eel` (s" l`). (Zoöl.) The conger eel.

Sea" egg` (s" g`). (Zoöl.) A sea urchin.

Sea" el"e*phant (s" "*fant). (Zoöl.) A very large seal (Macrorhinus proboscideus) of the Antarctic seas, much hunted for its oil. It sometimes attains a length of thirty feet, and is remarkable for the prolongation of the nose of the adult male into an erectile elastic proboscis, about a foot in length. Another species of smaller size (M. angustirostris) occurs on the coast of Lower California, but is now nearly extinct.

Sea" fan` (s" fn`). (Zoöl.) Any gorgonian which branches in a fanlike form, especially Gorgonia flabellum of Florida and the West Indies.

Sea"far`er (?), n. [Sea + fare.] One who follows the sea as a business; a mariner; a sailor.

Sea"far`ing, a. Following the business of a mariner; as, a seafaring man.

Sea" feath"er (?). (Zoöl.) Any gorgonian which branches in a plumelike form.

Sea" fen"nel (?). (Bot.) Samphire.

Sea" fern" (?). (Zoöl.) Any gorgonian which branches like a fern.

Sea" fight` (?). An engagement between ships at sea; a naval battle.

Sea" fir` (?). (Zoöl.) A sertularian hydroid, especially Sertularia abietina, which branches like a miniature fir tree.

Sea" flow"er (?). (Zoöl.) A sea anemone, or any related anthozoan.

Sea" foam` (?). 1. Foam of sea water.

2. (Min.) Meerschaum; -- called also sea froth.

Sea" fowl` (?). (Zoöl.) Any bird which habitually frequents the sea, as an auk, gannet, gull, tern, or petrel; also, all such birds, collectively.

Sea" fox` (?). (Zoöl.) The thrasher shark. See Thrasher.

Sea" froth` (?; 115). See Sea foam, 2.

{ Sea"-gate`, Sea"-gait` }, n. A long, rolling swell of the sea. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Sea" gauge` (?). See under Gauge, n.

{ Sea" gher`kin (?), or Sea" gir"kin (?) }. (Zoöl.) Any small holothurian resembling in form a gherkin.

Sea" gin"ger (?). (Zoöl.) A hydroid coral of the genus Millepora, especially M. alcicornis, of the West Indies and Florida. So called because it stings the tongue like ginger. See Illust. under Millepore.

Sea" gir"dles (?). (Bot.) A kind of kelp (Laminaria digitata) with palmately cleft fronds; -- called also sea wand, seaware, and tangle.

Sea"girt` (?), a. Surrounded by the water of the sea or ocean; as, a seagirt isle. Milton.

Sea" god` (?). A marine deity; a fabulous being supposed to live in, or have dominion over, the sea, or some particular sea or part of the sea, as Neptune.

Sea" god"dess (?). A goddess supposed to live in or reign over the sea, or some part of the sea.

Sea"go`ing (?), a. Going upon the sea; especially, sailing upon the deep sea; -- used in distinction from coasting or river, as applied to vessels.

Sea" goose` (?). (Zoöl.) A phalarope.

Sea" gown` (?). A gown or frock with short sleeves, formerly worn by mariners. Shak.

Sea" grape` (?). 1. (Bot.) (a) The gulf weed. See under Gulf. (b) A shrubby plant (Coccoloba uvifera) growing on the sandy shores of tropical America, somewhat resembling the grapevine.

2. pl. (Zoöl.) The clusters of gelatinous egg capsules of a squid (Loligo).

Sea" grass` (?). (Bot.) Eelgrass.

Sea" green` (?). The green color of sea water.

Sea"-green`, a. Of a beautiful bluish green color, like sea water on soundings.

Sea" gud"geon (?). (Zoöl.) The European black goby (Gobius niger).

Sea" gull` (?). (Zoöl.) Any gull living on the seacoast.

||Se"ah (?), n. A Jewish dry measure containing one third of an ephah.

Sea" hare` (?). (Zoöl.) Any tectibranchiate mollusk of the genus Aplysia. See Aplysia.

Sea" hawk` (?). (Zoöl.) A jager gull.

Sea" heath` (?). (Bot.) A low perennial plant (Frankenia lævis) resembling heath, growing along the seashore in Europe.

Sea" hedge"hog` (?). (Zoöl.) A sea urchin.

Sea" hen` (?). (Zoöl.) The common guillemot; -- applied also to various other sea birds.

Sea" hog` (?). (Zoöl.) The porpoise.

Sea" hol"ly (?). (Bot.) An evergeen seashore plant (Eryngium maritimum). See Eryngium.

Sea" holm` (?). A small uninhabited island.

Sea" holm`. (Bot.) Sea holly.

Sea" horse` (?). 1. A fabulous creature, half horse and half fish, represented in classic mythology as driven by sea dogs or ridden by the Nereids. It is also depicted in heraldry. See Hippocampus.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The walrus. (b) Any fish of the genus Hippocampus.

In a passage of Dryden's, the word is supposed to refer to the hippopotamus.

Sea" hul"ver (?). (Bot.) Sea holly.

Sea"-is`land (?), a. Of or pertaining to certain islands along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia; as, sea-island cotton, a superior cotton of long fiber produced on those islands.

Sea" jel"ly (?). (Zoöl.) A medusa, or jellyfish.

Seak (?), n. Soap prepared for use in milling cloth.

Sea" kale" (?). (Bot.) See under Kale.

Sea" king` (?). One of the leaders among the Norsemen who passed their lives in roving the seas in search of plunder and adventures; a Norse pirate chief. See the Note under Viking.

Seal (sl), n. [OE. sele, AS. seolh; akin to OHG. selah, Dan. sæl, Sw. själ, Icel. selr.] (Zoöl.) Any aquatic carnivorous mammal of the families Phocidæ and Otariidæ.

Seals inhabit seacoasts, and are found principally in the higher latitudes of both hemispheres. There are numerous species, bearing such popular names as sea lion, sea leopard, sea bear, or ursine seal, fur seal, and sea elephant. The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), and the ringed seal (Phoca fœtida), are northern species. See also Eared seal, Harp seal, Monk seal, and Fur seal, under Eared, Harp, Monk, and Fur. Seals are much hunted for their skins and fur, and also for their oil, which in some species is very abundant.

Harbor seal (Zoöl.), the common seal (Phoca vitulina). It inhabits both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific Ocean, and often ascends rivers; -- called also marbled seal, native seal, river seal, bay seal, land seal, sea calf, sea cat, sea dog, dotard, ranger, selchie, tangfish.

Seal, n. [OE. seel, OF. seel, F. sceau, fr. L. sigillum a little figure or image, a seal, dim. of signum a mark, sign, figure, or image. See Sign, n., and cf. Sigil.] 1. An engraved or inscribed stamp, used for marking an impression in wax or other soft substance, to be attached to a document, or otherwise used by way of authentication or security.

2. Wax, wafer, or other tenacious substance, set to an instrument, and impressed or stamped with a seal; as, to give a deed under hand and seal.

Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond Thou but offend'st thy lungs to speak so loud.

Shak.

3. That which seals or fastens; esp., the wax or wafer placed on a letter or other closed paper, etc., to fasten it.

4. That which confirms, ratifies, or makes stable; that which authenticates; that which secures; assurance. "Under the seal of silence." Milton.

Like a red seal is the setting sun On the good and the evil men have done.

Longfellow.

5. An arrangement for preventing the entrance or return of gas or air into a pipe, by which the open end of the pipe dips beneath the surface of water or other liquid, or a deep bend or sag in the pipe is filled with the liquid; a draintrap.

Great seal. See under Great. -- Privy seal. See under Privy, a. -- Seal lock, a lock in which the keyhole is covered by a seal in such a way that the lock can not be opened without rupturing the seal. -- Seal manual. See under Manual, a. -- Seal ring, a ring having a seal engraved on it, or ornamented with a device resembling a seal; a signet ring. Shak.

Seal, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sealed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sealing.] [OE. selen; cf. OF. seeler, seieler, F. sceller, LL. sigillare. See Seal a stamp.] 1. To set or affix a seal to; hence, to authenticate; to confirm; to ratify; to establish; as, to seal a deed.

And with my hand I seal my true heart's love.

Shak.

2. To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality; as, to seal weights and measures; to seal silverware.

3. To fasten with a seal; to attach together with a wafer, wax, or other substance causing adhesion; as, to seal a letter.

4. Hence, to shut close; to keep close; to make fast; to keep secure or secret.

Seal up your lips, and give no words but "mum".

Shak.

5. To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement, plaster, or the like. Gwilt.

6. To close by means of a seal; as, to seal a drainpipe with water. See 2d Seal, 5.

7. Among the Mormons, to confirm or set apart as a second or additional wife. [Utah, U.S.]

If a man once married desires a second helpmate . . . she is sealed to him under the solemn sanction of the church.

H. Stansbury.

Seal, v. i. To affix one's seal, or a seal. [Obs.]

I will seal unto this bond.

Shak.

Sea" la"ces (?). (Bot.) A kind of seaweed (Chorda Filum) having blackish cordlike fronds, often many feet long.

Sea" lam"prey (?). (Zoöl.) The common lamprey.

Sea" lan"guage (?). The peculiar language or phraseology of seamen; sailor's cant.

Sea" lark` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The rock pipit (Anthus obscurus). (b) Any one of several small sandpipers and plovers, as the ringed plover, the turnstone, the dunlin, and the sanderling.

Sea" lav"en*der (?). (Bot.) See Marsh rosemary, under Marsh.

Sea" law"yer (?). (Zoöl.) The gray snapper. See under Snapper.

Seal"-brown` (?), a. Of a rich dark brown color, like the fur of the fur seal after it is dyed.

Sea" legs` (?). Legs able to maintain their possessor upright in stormy weather at sea, that is, ability to stand or walk steadily on deck when a vessel is rolling or pitching in a rough sea. [Sailor's Cant] Totten.

Sea" lem"on (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of nudibranchiate mollusks of the genus Doris and allied genera, having a smooth, thick, convex yellow body.

Sea" leop"ard (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of spotted seals, especially Ogmorhinus leptonyx, and Leptonychotes Weddelli, of the Antarctic Ocean. The North Pacific sea leopard is the harbor seal.

Seal"er (?), n. One who seals; especially, an officer whose duty it is to seal writs or instruments, to stamp weights and measures, or the like.

Sealer, n. A mariner or a vessel engaged in the business of capturing seals.

Sea" let"ter (?). (Mar. Law.) The customary certificate of national character which neutral merchant vessels are bound to carry in time of war; a passport for a vessel and cargo. Burrill.

Sea" let"tuce (?). (Bot.) The green papery fronds of several seaweeds of the genus Ulva, sometimes used as food.

Sea" lev"el (?). The level of the surface of the sea; any surface on the same level with the sea.

{ Sealgh (?), Selch, n. }. (Zoöl.) A seal. [Scotch]

Sea" lil"y (?). (Zoöl.) A crinoid.

Seal"ing wax` (?). A compound of the resinous materials, pigments, etc., used as a material for seals, as for letters, documents, etc.

Sea" li"on (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of several large species of seals of the family Otariidæ native of the Pacific Ocean, especially the southern sea lion (Otaria jubata) of the South American coast; the northern sea lion (Eumetopias Stelleri) found from California to Japan; and the black, or California, sea lion (Zalophus Californianus), which is common on the rocks near San Francisco.

Sea" loach" (?). (Zoöl.) The three- bearded rockling. See Rockling.

Sea" louse` (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of isopod crustaceans of Cymothoa, Livoneca, and allied genera, mostly parasites on fishes.

Seam (sm), n. [See Saim.] Grease; tallow; lard. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Shak. Dryden.

Seam, n. [OE. seem, seam, AS. seám; akin to D. zoom, OHG. soum, G. saum, LG. soom, Icel. saumr, Sw. & Dan. söm, and E. sew. √ 156. See Sew to fasten with thread.] 1. The fold or line formed by sewing together two pieces of cloth or leather.

2. Hence, a line of junction; a joint; a suture, as on a ship, a floor, or other structure; the line of union, or joint, of two boards, planks, metal plates, etc.

Precepts should be so finely wrought together . . . that no coarse seam may discover where they join.

Addison.

3. (Geol. & Mining) A thin layer or stratum; a narrow vein between two thicker strata; as, a seam of coal.

4. A line or depression left by a cut or wound; a scar; a cicatrix.

Seam blast, a blast made by putting the powder into seams or cracks of rocks. -- Seam lace, a lace used by carriage makers to cover seams and edges; -- called also seaming lace. -- Seam presser. (Agric.) (a) A heavy roller to press down newly plowed furrows. (b) A tailor's sadiron for pressing seams. Knight. -- Seam set, a set for flattering the seams of metal sheets, leather work, etc.

Seam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seamed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seaming.] 1. To form a seam upon or of; to join by sewing together; to unite.

2. To mark with something resembling a seam; to line; to scar.

Seamed o'er with wounds which his own saber gave.

Pope.

3. To make the appearance of a seam in, as in knitting a stocking; hence, to knit with a certain stitch, like that in such knitting.

Seam, v. i. To become ridgy; to crack open.

Later their lips began to parch and seam.

L. Wallace.

Seam, n. [AS. seám, LL. sauma, L. sagma a packsaddle, fr. Gr. &?;. See Sumpter.] A denomination of weight or measure. Specifically: (a) The quantity of eight bushels of grain. "A seam of oats." P. Plowman. (b) The quantity of 120 pounds of glass. [Eng.]

Sea"-maid` (?), n. 1. The mermaid.

2. A sea nymph.

Sea"-mail` (?), n. [Sea + (perhaps) Mall Mally, for Mary; hence, Prov. E. mally a hare.] (Zoöl.) A gull; the mew.

Sea"man (?), n.; pl. Seamen (&?;). A merman; the male of the mermaid. [R.] "Not to mention mermaids or seamen." Locke.

Sea"man (?), n.; pl. Seamen (#). [AS. sæman.] One whose occupation is to assist in the management of ships at sea; a mariner; a sailor; -- applied both to officers and common mariners, but especially to the latter. Opposed to landman, or landsman.

Able seaman, a sailor who is practically conversant with all the duties of common seamanship. -- Ordinary seaman. See Ordinary.

Sea"man*like` (?), a. Having or showing the skill of a practical seaman.

Sea"man*ship, n. The skill of a good seaman; the art, or skill in the art, of working a ship.

Sea" man"tis (?). (Zoöl.) A squilla.

Sea" marge` (?). Land which borders on the sea; the seashore. Shak.

You are near the sea marge of a land teeming with life.

J. Burroughs.

Sea"mark` (?), n. Any elevated object on land which serves as a guide to mariners; a beacon; a landmark visible from the sea, as a hill, a tree, a steeple, or the like. Shak.

Sea" mat` (?). (Zoöl.) Any bryozoan of the genus Flustra or allied genera which form frondlike corals.

Sea" maw` (?). (Zoöl.) The sea mew.

Seamed (?), a. (Falconry) Out of condition; not in good condition; -- said of a hawk.

Sea"-mell` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The sea mew.

Sea" mew` (?). (Zoöl.) A gull; the mew.

Sea" mile` (?). A geographical mile. See Mile.

Sea" milk"wort` (?). (Bot.) A low, fleshy perennial herb (Glaux maritima) found along northern seashores.

Seam"ing (?), n. 1. The act or process of forming a seam or joint.

2. (Fishing) The cord or rope at the margin of a seine, to which the meshes of the net are attached.

Seaming machine, a machine for uniting the edges of sheet-metal plates by bending them and pinching them together.

Seam"less, a. Without a seam.

Christ's seamless coat, all of a piece.

Jer. Taylor.

Sea" monk` (?). (Zoöl.) See Monk seal, under Monk.

Sea" mon"ster (?). (Zoöl.) Any large sea animal.

Sea" moss` (?; 115). (Zoöl.) Any branched marine bryozoan resembling moss.

Sea" mouse` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A dorsibranchiate annelid, belonging to Aphrodite and allied genera, having long, slender, hairlike setæ on the sides. (b) The dunlin.

Seam"ster (?), n. [See Seamstress.] One who sews well, or whose occupation is to sew. [Obs.]

Seam"stress (?; 277), n. [From older seamster, properly fem., AS. seámestre. See Seam.] A woman whose occupation is sewing; a needlewoman.

Seam"stress*y (?), n. The business of a seamstress.

Sea" mud` (?). A rich slimy deposit in salt marshes and along the seashore, sometimes used as a manure; -- called also sea ooze.

Seam"y (?), a. Having a seam; containing seams, or showing them. "Many a seamy scar." Burns.

Everything has its fair, as well as its seamy, side.

Sir W. Scott.

Sean (?), n. A seine. See Seine. [Prov. Eng.]

||Sé`ance" (?), n. [F., fr. L. sedens, -entis, p. pr. of sedere to sit. ||See Sit.] A session, as of some public body; especially, a meeting of ||spiritualists to receive spirit communications, so called.

Sea" nee"dle (?). (Zoöl.) See Garfish (a).

Sea" net`tle (?). A jellyfish, or medusa.

Sean"na*chie (?), n. [Gael. seanachaidh.] A bard among the Highlanders of Scotland, who preserved and repeated the traditions of the tribes; also, a genealogist. [Written also sennachy.] [Scot.]

Sea" on"ion (?). (Bot.) The officinal squill. See Squill.

Sea" ooze` (?). Same as Sea mud. Mortimer.

Sea" or"ange (?). (Zoöl.) A large American holothurian (Lophothuria Fabricii) having a bright orange convex body covered with finely granulated scales. Its expanded tentacles are bright red.

Sea"-orb` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A globefish.

Sea" ot"ter (?). (Zoöl.) An aquatic carnivore (Enhydris lutris, or marina) found in the North Pacific Ocean. Its fur is highly valued, especially by the Chinese. It is allied to the common otter, but is larger, with feet more decidedly webbed.

Sea-otter's cabbage (Bot.), a gigantic kelp of the Pacific Ocean (Nereocystis Lutkeana). See Nereocystis.

Sea" owl` (s" oul`). (Zoöl.) The lumpfish.

Sea" pad` (s" pd`). (Zoöl.) A starfish.

Sea" par"rot (s" pr"rt). (Zoöl.) The puffin.

Sea" par"tridge (?). (Zoöl.) The gilthead (Crenilabrus melops), a fish of the British coasts.

Sea" pass` (?). A document carried by neutral merchant vessels in time of war, to show their nationality; a sea letter or passport. See Passport.

Sea" peach` (?). (Zoöl.) A beautiful American ascidian (Cynthia, or Halocynthia, pyriformis) having the size, form, velvety surface, and color of a ripe peach.

Sea" pear` (s" pâr`). (Zoöl.) A pedunculated ascidian of the genus Boltonia.

Sea"-pen" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A pennatula.

Sea" perch` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The European bass (Roccus, or Labrax, lupus); -- called also sea dace. (b) The cunner. (c) The sea bass. (d) The name is applied also to other species of fishes.

Sea" pheas"ant (?). (Zoöl.) The pintail duck.

Sea" pie` (s" p`). (Zoöl.) The oyster catcher, a limicoline bird of the genus Hæmatopus.

Sea" pie`. A dish of crust or pastry and meat or fish, etc., cooked together in alternate layers, -- a common food of sailors; as, a three-decker sea pie.

Sea"piece` (?), n. A picture representing a scene at sea; a marine picture. Addison.

Sea" pi"et (?). (Zoöl.) See 1st Sea pie.

Sea" pig` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A porpoise or dolphin. (b) A dugong.

Sea" pi"geon (?). The common guillemot.

Sea" pike` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The garfish. (b) A large serranoid food fish (Centropomus undecimalis) found on both coasts of America; -- called also robalo. (c) The merluce.

Sea" pin`cush`ion (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A sea purse. (b) A pentagonal starfish.

Sea" pink` (?). (Bot.) See Thrift.

Sea" plov"er (?). The black-bellied plover.

{ Sea" poach"er (s" pch"r). Sea" pok"er (s" pk"r). } (Zoöl.) The lyrie.

Sea" pool` (?). A pool of salt water. Spenser.

Sea" pop"py (?). (Bot.) The horn poppy. See under Horn.

Sea" por"cu*pine (?). (Zoöl.) Any fish of the genus Diodon, and allied genera, whose body is covered with spines. See Illust. under Diodon.

Sea" pork` (?). (Zoöl.) An American compound ascidian (Amorœcium stellatum) which forms large whitish masses resembling salt pork.

Sea" port` (s"prt`), n. A port on the seashore, or one accessible for seagoing vessels. Also used adjectively; as, a seaport town.

Sea"poy (?), n. See Sepoy.

Sea" pud"ding (?). (Zoöl.) Any large holothurian. [Prov. Eng.]

Sea" purse` (s" pûrs`). (Zoöl.) The horny egg case of a skate, and of certain sharks.

Sea" purs"lane (?). (Bot.) See under Purslane.

Sea" pye` (?). (Zoöl.) See 1st Sea pie.

Sea" py"ot (?). (Zoöl.) See 1st Sea pie.

Sea" quail` (?). (Zoöl.) The turnstone.

Sea"quake` (s"kwk`), n. A quaking of the sea.

{ Sear, Sere (sr) }, a. [OE. seer, AS. seár (assumed) fr. seárian to wither; akin to D. zoor dry, LG. soor, OHG. sorn to wither, Gr. a"y`ein to parch, to dry, Skr. çush (for sush) to dry, to wither, Zend hush to dry. √152. Cf. Austere, Sorrel, a.] Dry; withered; no longer green; -- applied to leaves. Milton.

I have lived long enough; my way of life Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf.

Shak.

Sear, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Searing.] [OE. seeren, AS. seárian. See Sear, a.] 1. To wither; to dry up. Shak.

2. To burn (the surface of) to dryness and hardness; to cauterize; to expose to a degree of heat such as changes the color or the hardness and texture of the surface; to scorch; to make callous; as, to sear the skin or flesh. Also used figuratively.

I'm seared with burning steel.

Rowe.

It was in vain that the amiable divine tried to give salutary pain to that seared conscience.

Macaulay.

The discipline of war, being a discipline in destruction of life, is a discipline in callousness. Whatever sympathies exist are seared.

H. Spencer.

Sear is allied to scorch in signification; but it is applied primarily to animal flesh, and has special reference to the effect of heat in marking the surface hard. Scorch is applied to flesh, cloth, or any other substance, and has no reference to the effect of hardness.

To sear up, to close by searing. "Cherish veins of good humor, and sear up those of ill." Sir W. Temple.

Sear, n. [F. serre a grasp, pressing, fr. L. sera. See Serry.] The catch in a gunlock by which the hammer is held cocked or half cocked.

Sear spring, the spring which causes the sear to catch in the notches by which the hammer is held.

Sea" rat` (?). 1. A pirate. [R.] Massinger.

2. (Zoöl.) The chimæra.

Sea" ra"ven (?). (Zoöl.) (a) An American cottoid fish (Hemitripterus Americanus) allied to the sculpins, found on the northern Atlantic coasts. (b) The cormorant.

Searce (?), n. [See Sarse.] A fine sieve. [Obs.]

Searce, v. t. To sift; to bolt. [Obs.] Mortimer.

Sear"cer (?), n. 1. One who sifts or bolts. [Obs.]

2. A searce, or sieve. [Obs.] Holland.

Search (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Searched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Searching.] [OE. serchen, cerchen, OF. cerchier, F. chercher, L. circare to go about, fr. L. circum, circa, around. See Circle.] 1. To look over or through, for the purpose of finding something; to examine; to explore; as, to search the city. "Search the Scriptures." John v. 39.

They are come to search the house.

Shak.

Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Ps. cxxxix. 23.

2. To inquire after; to look for; to seek.

I will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

Ezek. xxxiv. 11.

Enough is left besides to search and know.

Milton.

3. To examine or explore by feeling with an instrument; to probe; as, to search a wound.

4. To examine; to try; to put to the test.

To search out, to seek till found; to find by seeking; as, to search out truth.

Syn. -- To explore; examine; scrutinize; seek; investigate; pry into; inquire.

Search, v. i. To seek; to look for something; to make inquiry, exploration, or examination; to hunt.

Once more search with me.

Shak.

It sufficeth that they have once with care sifted the matter, and searched into all the particulars.

Locke.

Search, n. [Cf. OF. cerche. See Search, v. t.] The act of seeking or looking for something; quest; inquiry; pursuit for finding something; examination.

Thus the orb he roamed With narrow search, and with inspection deep Considered every creature.

Milton.

Nor did my search of liberty begin Till my black hairs were changed upon my chin.

Dryden.

Right of search (Mar. Law), the right of the lawfully commissioned cruisers of belligerent nations to examine and search private merchant vessels on the high seas, for the enemy's property or for articles contraband of war. -- Search warrant (Law), a warrant legally issued, authorizing an examination or search of a house, or other place, for goods stolen, secreted, or concealed.

Syn. -- Scrutiny; examination; exploration; investigation; research; inquiry; quest; pursuit.

Search"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being searched.

Search"a*ble*ness, n. Quality of being searchable.

Search"er (?), n. [Cf. OF. cercheor inspector.] One who, or that which, searches or examines; a seeker; an inquirer; an examiner; a trier. Specifically: (a) Formerly, an officer in London appointed to examine the bodies of the dead, and report the cause of death. Graunt. (b) An officer of the customs whose business it is to search ships, merchandise, luggage, etc. (c) An inspector of leather. [Prov. Eng.] (d) (Gun.) An instrument for examining the bore of a cannon, to detect cavities. (e) An implement for sampling butter; a butter trier. (j) (Med.) An instrument for feeling after calculi in the bladder, etc.

Search"ing, a. Exploring thoroughly; scrutinizing; penetrating; trying; as, a searching discourse; a searching eye. "Piercing, searching, biting, cold." Dickens.

-- Search"ing*ly, adv. -- Search"ing*ness, n.

Search"less, a. Impossible to be searched; inscrutable; impenetrable.

Sear"cloth` (?; 115), n. Cerecloth. Mortimer.

Sear"cloth, v. t. To cover, as a sore, with cerecloth.

Seared (?), a. Scorched; cauterized; hence, figuratively, insensible; not susceptible to moral influences.

A seared conscience and a remorseless heart.

Macaulay.

Sear"ed*ness (?), n. The state of being seared or callous; insensibility. Bp. Hall.

Sea" reed` (?). (Bot.) The sea-sand reed. See under Reed.

Sea" risk (?). Risk of injury, destruction, or loss by the sea, or while at sea.

Sea" rob"ber (?). A pirate; a sea rover.

Sea" rob"in (?). See under Robin, and Illustration in Appendix.

Sea" rock"et (?).(Bot.) See under Rocket.

Sea" room` (?). (Naut.) Room or space at sea for a vessel to maneuver, drive, or scud, without peril of running ashore or aground. Totten.

Sea" rov"er (?). One that cruises or roves the sea for plunder; a sea robber; a pirate; also, a piratical vessel.

Sea"-rov"ing, a. Cruising at random on the ocean.

Sea" salm"on (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A young pollock. (b) The spotted squeteague. (c) See Sea bass (b).

Sea" salt` (?). Common salt, obtained from sea water by evaporation.

Sea" sand"pi`per (?). (Zoöl.) The purple sandpiper.

Sea" sand"wort` (?). (Bot.) See Sea chickweed.

Sea" sau"ri*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any marine saurian; esp. (Paleon.), the large extinct species of Mosasaurus, Ichthyosaurus, Plesiosaurus, and related genera.

Sea"scape (?), n. [Cf. Landscape.] A picture representing a scene at sea. [Jocose] Thackeray.

Sea" scor"pi*on (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A European sculpin (Cottus scorpius) having the head armed with short spines. (b) The scorpene.

Sea" scurf` (?). (Zoöl.) Any bryozoan which forms rounded or irregular patches of coral on stones, seaweeds, etc.

Sea" ser"pent (?). 1. (Zoöl.) Any marine snake. See Sea snake.

2. (Zoöl.) A large marine animal of unknown nature, often reported to have been seen at sea, but never yet captured.

Many accounts of sea serpents are imaginary or fictitious; others are greatly exaggerated and distorted by incompetent observers; but a number have been given by competent and trustworthy persons, which indicate that several diverse animals have been called sea serpents. Among these are, apparently, several large snakelike fishes, as the oar fish, or ribbon fish (Regalecus), and huge conger eels. Other accounts probably refer to the giant squids (Architeuthis). Some of the best accounts seem to describe a marine saurian, like the fossil Mosasauri, which were large serpentlike creatures with paddles.

Sea"shell` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The shell of any marine mollusk.

Sea"shore` (?), n. 1. The coast of the sea; the land that lies adjacent to the sea or ocean.

2. (Law) All the ground between the ordinary high-water and low-water marks.

Sea"sick` (?), a. Affected with seasickness.

Sea"sick`ness, n. The peculiar sickness, characterized by nausea and prostration, which is caused by the pitching or rolling of a vessel.

Sea"side` (?), n. The land bordering on, or adjacent to, the sea; the seashore. Also used adjectively.

Sea" slat"er (?). (Zoöl.) Any isopod crustacean of the genus Ligia.

Sea" slug` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A holothurian. (b) A nudibranch mollusk.

Sea" snail` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A small fish of the genus Liparis, having a ventral sucker. It lives among stones and seaweeds. (b) Any small creeping marine gastropod, as the species of Littorina, Natica, etc.

Sea" snake` (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of many species of venomous aquatic snakes of the family Hydrophidæ, having a flattened tail and living entirely in the sea, especially in the warmer parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They feed upon fishes, and are mostly of moderate size, but some species become eight or ten feet long and four inches broad.

Sea" snipe` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A sandpiper, as the knot and dunlin. (b) The bellows fish.

Sea"son (?), n. [OE. sesoun, F. saison, properly, the sowing time, fr. L. satio a sowing, a planting, fr. serere, satum, to sow, plant; akin to E. sow, v., to scatter, as seed.] 1. One of the divisions of the year, marked by alterations in the length of day and night, or by distinct conditions of temperature, moisture, etc., caused mainly by the relative position of the earth with respect to the sun. In the north temperate zone, four seasons, namely, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, are generally recognized. Some parts of the world have three seasons, -- the dry, the rainy, and the cold; other parts have but two, -- the dry and the rainy.

The several seasons of the year in their beauty.

Addison.

2. Hence, a period of time, especially as regards its fitness for anything contemplated or done; a suitable or convenient time; proper conjuncture; as, the season for planting; the season for rest.

The season, prime for sweetest scents and airs.

Milton.

3. A period of time not very long; a while; a time.

Thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.

Acts xiii. 11.

4. That which gives relish; seasoning. [Obs.]

You lack the season of all natures, sleep.

Shak.

In season, in good time, or sufficiently early for the purpose. -- Out of season, beyond or out of the proper time or the usual or appointed time.

Sea"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seasoned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seasoning.] 1. To render suitable or appropriate; to prepare; to fit.

He is fit and seasoned for his passage.

Shak.

2. To fit for any use by time or habit; to habituate; to accustom; to inure; to ripen; to mature; as, to season one to a climate.

3. Hence, to prepare by drying or hardening, or removal of natural juices; as, to season timber.

4. To fit for taste; to render palatable; to give zest or relish to; to spice; as, to season food.

5. Hence, to fit for enjoyment; to render agreeable.

You season still with sports your serious hours.

Dryden.

The proper use of wit is to season conversation.

Tillotson.

6. To qualify by admixture; to moderate; to temper. "When mercy seasons justice." Shak.

7. To imbue; to tinge or taint. "Who by his tutor being seasoned with the love of the truth." Fuller.

Season their younger years with prudent and pious principles.

Jer. Taylor.

8. To copulate with; to impregnate. [R.] Holland.

Sea"son (?), v. i. 1. To become mature; to grow fit for use; to become adapted to a climate.

2. To become dry and hard, by the escape of the natural juices, or by being penetrated with other substance; as, timber seasons in the sun.

3. To give token; to savor. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

Sea"son*a*ble (?), a. Occurring in good time, in due season, or in proper time for the purpose; suitable to the season; opportune; timely; as, a seasonable supply of rain.

Mercy is seasonable in the time of affliction.

Ecclus. xxxv. 20.

-- Sea"son*a*ble*ness, n. -- Sea"son*a*bly, adv.

Sea"son*age (?), n. A seasoning. [Obs.] South.

Sea"son*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to the seasons.

Seasonal dimorphism (Zoöl.), the condition of having two distinct varieties which appear at different seasons, as certain species of butterflies in which the spring brood differs from the summer or autumnal brood.

Sea"son*er (?), n. One who, or that which, seasons, or gives a relish; a seasoning.

Sea"son*ing, n. 1. The act or process by which anything is seasoned.

2. That which is added to any species of food, to give it a higher relish, as salt, spices, etc.; a condiment.

3. Hence, something added to enhance enjoyment or relieve dullness; as, wit is the seasoning of conversation.

Political speculations are of so dry and austere a nature, that they will not go down with the public without frequent seasonings.

Addison.

Seasoning tub (Bakery), a trough in which dough is set to rise. Knight.

Sea"son*less, a. Without succession of the seasons.

Sea" spi"der (?). (Zoöl.) (a) Any maioid crab; a spider crab. See Maioid, and Spider crab, under Spider. (b) Any pycnogonid.

Sea" squirt` (?). (Zoöl.) An ascidian. See Illust. under Tunicata.

Sea" star` (?). (Zoöl.) A starfish, or brittle star.

Sea" sur"geon (?). (Zoöl.) A surgeon fish.

Sea" swal"low (?). 1. (Zoöl.) (a) The common tern. (b) The storm petrel. (c) The gannet.

2. (Her.) See Cornish chough, under Chough.

Seat (st), n. [OE. sete, Icel. sæti; akin to Sw. säte, Dan. sæde, MHG. sze, AS. set, setl, and E. sit. √154. See Sit, and cf. Settle, n.] 1. The place or thing upon which one sits; hence; anything made to be sat in or upon, as a chair, bench, stool, saddle, or the like.

And Jesus . . . overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.

Matt. xxi. 12.

2. The place occupied by anything, or where any person or thing is situated, resides, or abides; a site; an abode, a station; a post; a situation.

Where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is.

Rev. ii. 13.

He that builds a fair house upon an ill seat committeth himself to prison.

Bacon.

A seat of plenty, content, and tranquillity.

Macaulay.

3. That part of a thing on which a person sits; as, the seat of a chair or saddle; the seat of a pair of pantaloons.

4. A sitting; a right to sit; regular or appropriate place of sitting; as, a seat in a church; a seat for the season in the opera house.

5. Posture, or way of sitting, on horseback.

She had so good a seat and hand she might be trusted with any mount.

G. Eliot.

6. (Mach.) A part or surface on which another part or surface rests; as, a valve seat.

Seat worm (Zoöl.), the pinworm.

Seat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seated; p. pr. & vb. n. Seating.] 1. To place on a seat; to cause to sit down; as, to seat one's self.

The guests were no sooner seated but they entered into a warm debate.

Arbuthnot.

2. To cause to occupy a post, site, situation, or the like; to station; to establish; to fix; to settle.

Thus high . . . is King Richard seated.

Shak.

They had seated themselves in New Guiana.

Sir W. Raleigh.

3. To assign a seat to, or the seats of; to give a sitting to; as, to seat a church, or persons in a church.

4. To fix; to set firm.

From their foundations, loosening to and fro, They plucked the seated hills.

Milton.

5. To settle; to plant with inhabitants; as to seat a country. [Obs.] W. Stith.

6. To put a seat or bottom in; as, to seat a chair.

Seat, v. i. To rest; to lie down. [Obs.] Spenser.

Sea" tang` (?). (Bot.) A kind of seaweed; tang; tangle.

To their nests of sedge and sea tang.

Longfellow.

Sea" term` (?). A term used specifically by seamen; a nautical word or phrase.

Sea" thief` (?). A pirate. Drayton.

Sea" thongs` (?; 115). (Bot.) A kind of blackish seaweed (Himanthalia lorea) found on the northern coasts of the Atlantic. It has a thonglike forking process rising from a top-shaped base.

Seat"ing (st"ng), n. 1. The act of providing with a seat or seats; as, the seating of an audience.

2. The act of making seats; also, the material for making seats; as, cane seating.

Sea" tit"ling (?). (Zoöl.) The rock pipit.

Seat"less (?), a. Having no seat.

Sea" toad` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) A sculpin. (b) A toadfish. (c) The angler.

Sea" trout` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of true trouts which descend rivers and enter the sea after spawning, as the European bull trout and salmon trout, and the eastern American spotted trout. (b) The common squeteague, and the spotted squeteague. (c) A California fish of the family Chiridæ, especially Hexagrammus decagrammus; -- called also spotted rock trout. See Rock trout, under Rock. (d) A California sciænoid fish (Cynoscion nobilis); -- called also white sea bass.

Sea" trum"pet (?). 1. (Bot.) A great blackish seaweed of the Southern Ocean, having a hollow and expanding stem and a pinnate frond, sometimes twenty feet long.

2. (Zoöl.) Any large marine univalve shell of the genus Triton. See Triton.

Sea" turn` (?). A breeze, gale, or mist from the sea. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Sea" tur"tle (?). (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several very large species of chelonians having the feet converted into paddles, as the green turtle, hawkbill, loggerhead, and leatherback. They inhabit all warm seas. (b) The sea pigeon, or guillemot.

Sea" u"ni*corn (?). (Zoöl.) The narwhal.

Sea" ur"chin (?). (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of echinoderms of the order Echinoidea. When living they are covered with movable spines which are often long and sharp.

Seave (?), n. [Cf. Dan. siv, Sw. säf, Icel. sef.] A rush. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Seav`y, a. Overgrown with rushes. [Prov. Eng.]

Sea" wall` (?). [AS. sæweall.] A wall, or embankment, to resist encroachments of the sea.

Sea"-walled` (?), a. Surrounded, bounded, or protected by the sea, as if by a wall. Shak.

{ Sea"wan (?), Sea"want (?) }, n. The name used by the Algonquin Indians for the shell beads which passed among the Indians as money.

Seawan was of two kinds; wampum, white, and suckanhock, black or purple, -- the former having half the value of the latter. Many writers, however, use the terms seawan and wampum indiscriminately. Bartlett.

Sea"wand` . (Bot.) See Sea girdles.

Sea"ward (?), a. Directed or situated toward the sea. Donne.

Two still clouds . . . sparkled on their seaward edges like a frosted fleece.

G. W. Cable.

Sea"ward, adv. Toward the sea. Drayton.

Sea"ware` (?), n. [Cf. AS. swr seaweed.] (Bot.) Seaweed; esp., coarse seaweed. See Ware, and Sea girdles.

Sea"weed` (?), n. 1. Popularly, any plant or plants growing in the sea.

2. (Bot.) Any marine plant of the class Algæ, as kelp, dulse, Fucus, Ulva, etc.

Sea" whip` (?). (Zoöl.) A gorgonian having a simple stem.

Sea" wid"geon (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The scaup duck. (b) The pintail duck.

Sea"wife` (?), n.; pl. Seawives (&?;). (Zoöl.) A European wrasse (Labrus vetula).

Sea" wil"low (?). (Zoöl.) A gorgonian coral with long flexible branches.

Sea" wing` (?). (Zoöl.) A wing shell (Avicula).

Sea" with"wind` (?). (Bot.) A kind of bindweed (Convolvulus Soldanella) growing on the seacoast of Europe.

Sea" wolf` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The wolf fish. (b) The European sea perch. (c) The sea elephant. (d) A sea lion.

Sea" wood"cock` (?). (Zoöl.) The bar- tailed godwit.

Sea" wood" louse` (?). (Zoöl.) A sea slater.

Sea" worm"wood` (?). (Bot.) A European species of wormwood (Artemisia maritima) growing by the sea.

Sea"wor`thi*ness (?), n. The state or quality of being seaworthy, or able to resist the ordinary violence of wind and weather. Kent.

Sea"wor`thy (?), a. Fit for a voyage; worthy of being trusted to transport a cargo with safety; as, a seaworthy ship.

Sea" wrack` (?). (Bot.) See Wrack.

Se*ba"ceous (?), a. [NL. sebaceus, from L. sebum tallow, grease.] (Physiol.) Pertaining to, or secreting, fat; composed of fat; having the appearance of fat; as, the sebaceous secretions of some plants, or the sebaceous humor of animals.

Sebaceous cyst (Med.), a cyst formed by distention of a sebaceous gland, due to obstruction of its excretory duct. -- Sebaceous glands (Anat.), small subcutaneous glands, usually connected with hair follicles. They secrete an oily semifluid matter, composed in great part of fat, which softens and lubricates the hair and skin.

Se*bac"ic (?), a. [L. sebum tallow: cf. F. sébacique.] (Chem.) Of or pertaining to fat; derived from, or resembling, fat; specifically, designating an acid (formerly called also sebic, and pyroleic, acid), obtained by the distillation or saponification of certain oils (as castor oil) as a white crystalline substance.

Se"bat (?), n. [Heb. shbt.] The eleventh month of the ancient Hebrew year, approximately corresponding with February. W. Smith (Bibl. Dict.).

Se"bate (s"b\ddt), n. (Chem.) A salt of sebacic acid.

Se*bes"ten (?), n. [Ar. sebestn the tree: cf. Sp. sebesten.] (Bot.) The mucilaginous drupaceous fruit of two East Indian trees (Cordia Myxa, and C. latifolia), sometimes used medicinally in pectoral diseases.

In the West Indies the name is given to the similar fruit of Cordia Sebestana.

Se"bic (?), a. See Sebacic. [Obs.]

Se*bif"er*ous (?), a. [L. sebum tallow + -ferous.] 1. (Bot.) Producing vegetable tallow.

2. (Physiol.) Producing fat; sebaceous; as, the sebiferous, or sebaceous, glands.

Se*bip"a*rous (?), a. [L. sebum tallow + parere to bring forth.] (Physiol.) Same as Sebiferous.

||Seb"or*rhe*a (?), n. [NL., fr. L. sebum tallow + Gr. &?; to flow.] ||(Med.) A morbidly increased discharge of sebaceous matter upon the ||skin; stearrhea.

||Se*ca"le (?), n. [L., a kind of grain.] (Bot.) A genus of cereal ||grasses including rye.

Se"can*cy (?), n. [See Secant.] A cutting; an intersection; as, the point of secancy of one line by another. [R.] Davies & Peck (Math. Dict. ).

Se"cant (s"knt), a. [L. secans, -antis, p. pr. of secare to cut. See Section.] Cutting; dividing into two parts; as, a secant line.

Secant, n. [Cf. F. sécante. See Secant, a.] 1. (Geom.) A line that cuts another; especially, a straight line cutting a curve in two or more points.

2. (Trig.) A right line drawn from the center of a circle through one end of a circular arc, and terminated by a tangent drawn from the other end; the number expressing the ratio of this line to the radius of the circle. See Trigonometrical function, under Function.

||Sec"co (?), a. [It.] Dry.

Secco painting, or Painting in secco, painting on dry plaster, as distinguished from fresco painting, which is on wet or fresh plaster.

Se"cede" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Seceded; p. pr. & vb. n. Seceding.] [L. secedere, secessum; pref se- aside + cedere to go, move. See Cede.] To withdraw from fellowship, communion, or association; to separate one's self by a solemn act; to draw off; to retire; especially, to withdraw from a political or religious body.

Se*ced"er (?), n. 1. One who secedes.

2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a numerous body of Presbyterians in Scotland who seceded from the communion of the Established Church, about the year 1733, and formed the Secession Church, so called.

Se*cern" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Secerned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Secerning.] [L. secernere. See Secrete.] 1. To separate; to distinguish.

Averroes secerns a sense of titillation, and a sense of hunger and thirst.

Sir W. Hamilton.

2. (Physiol.) To secrete; as, mucus secerned in the nose. Arbuthnot.

Se*cern"ent (?), a. [L. secernens, p. pr.] (Physiol.) Secreting; secretory.

Se*cern"ent, n. 1. That which promotes secretion.

2. (Anat.) A vessel in, or by means of, which the process of secretion takes place; a secreting vessel.

Se*cern"ment (?), n. (Physiol.) The act or process of secreting.

Se*cess" (s*ss"), n. [L. secessus. See Secede.] Retirement; retreat; secession. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Se*ces"sion (s*ssh"n), n. [L. secessio: cf. F. sécession. See Secede.] 1. The act of seceding; separation from fellowship or association with others, as in a religious or political organization; withdrawal.

2. (U.S. Hist.) The withdrawal of a State from the national Union.

Secession Church (in Scotland). See Seceder.

Se*ces"sion*ism (?), n. The doctrine or policy of secession; the tenets of secession; the tenets of secessionists.

Se*ces"sion*ist, n. 1. One who upholds secession.

2. (U.S. Hist.) One who holds to the belief that a State has the right to separate from the Union at its will.

Seche (?), v. t. & i. To seek. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Se"chi*um (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. séchion; perhaps formed fr. Gr. &?; cucumber.] (Bot.) The edible fruit of a West Indian plant (Sechium edule) of the Gourd family. It is soft, pear-shaped, and about four inches long, and contains a single large seed. The root of the plant resembles a yam, and is used for food.

Seck (?), a. [F. sec, properly, dry, L. siccus.] Barren; unprofitable. See Rent seck, under Rent.

Seck"el (?), n. (Bot.) A small reddish brown sweet and juicy pear. It originated on a farm near Philadelphia, afterwards owned by a Mr. Seckel.

Se"cle (?), n. [L. saeculum: cf. F. siècle. See Secular.] A century. [Obs.] Hammond.

Se*clude (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Secluded; p. pr. & vb. n. Secluding.] [L. secludere, seclusum; pref. se- aside + claudere to shut. See Close, v. t.] 1. To shut up apart from others; to withdraw into, or place in, solitude; to separate from society or intercourse with others.

Let Eastern tyrants from the light of heaven Seclude their bosom slaves.

Thomson.

2. To shut or keep out; to exclude. [Obs.] Evelyn.

-- Se*clud"ed*ly, adv. -- Se*clud"ed*ness, n.

Se*clu"sion (?), n. [See Seclude.] The act of secluding, or the state of being secluded; separation from society or connection; a withdrawing; privacy; as, to live in seclusion.

O blest seclusion from a jarring world, which he, thus occupied, enjoys!

Cowper.

Syn. -- Solitude; separation; withdrawment; retirement; privacy. See Solitude.

Se*clu"sive (?), a. Tending to seclude; keeping in seclusion; secluding; sequestering.

Sec"ond (?), a. [F., fr. L. secundus second, properly, following, fr. sequi to follow. See Sue to follow, and cf. Secund.] 1. Immediately following the first; next to the first in order of place or time; hence, occurring again; another; other.

And he slept and dreamed the second time.

Gen. xli. 5.

2. Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior.

May the day when we become the second people upon earth . . . be the day of our utter extirpation.

Landor.

3. Being of the same kind as another that has preceded; another, like a prototype; as, a second Cato; a second Troy; a second deluge.

A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel!

Shak.

Second Adventist. See Adventist. -- Second cousin, the child of a cousin. -- Second-cut file. See under File. -- Second distance (Art), that part of a picture between the foreground and the background; -- called also middle ground, or middle distance. [R.] -- Second estate (Eng.), the House of Peers. -- Second girl, a female house- servant who does the lighter work, as chamber work or waiting on table. -- Second intention. See under Intention. -- Second story, Second floor, in America, the second range of rooms from the street level. This, in England, is called the first floor, the one beneath being the ground floor. -- Second thought or thoughts, consideration of a matter following a first impulse or impression; reconsideration.

On second thoughts, gentlemen, I don't wish you had known him.

Dickens.

Sec"ond (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, follows, or comes after; one next and inferior in place, time, rank, importance, excellence, or power.

Man An angel's second, nor his second long.

Young.

2. One who follows or attends another for his support and aid; a backer; an assistant; specifically, one who acts as another's aid in a duel.

Being sure enough of seconds after the first onset.

Sir H. Wotton.

3. Aid; assistance; help. [Obs.]

Give second, and my love Is everlasting thine.

J. Fletcher.

4. pl. An article of merchandise of a grade inferior to the best; esp., a coarse or inferior kind of flour.

5. [F. seconde. See Second, a.] The sixtieth part of a minute of time or of a minute of space, that is, the second regular subdivision of the degree; as, sound moves about 1,140 English feet in a second; five minutes and ten seconds north of this place.

6. In the duodecimal system of mensuration, the twelfth part of an inch or prime; a line. See Inch, and Prime, n., 8.

7. (Mus.) (a) The interval between any tone and the tone which is represented on the degree of the staff next above it. (b) The second part in a concerted piece; -- often popularly applied to the alto.

Second hand, the hand which marks the seconds on the dial of a watch or a clock.

Sec"ond, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seconded; p. pr. & vb. n. Seconding.] [Cf. F. seconder, L. secundare, from secundus. See Second, a.] 1. To follow in the next place; to succeed; to alternate. [R.]

In the method of nature, a low valley is immediately seconded with an ambitious hill.

Fuller.

Sin is seconded with sin.

South.

2. To follow or attend for the purpose of assisting; to support; to back; to act as the second of; to assist; to forward; to encourage.

We have supplies to second our attempt.

Shak.

In human works though labored on with pain, A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain; In God's, one single can its end produce, Yet serves to second too some other use.

Pope.

3. Specifically, to support, as a motion or proposal, by adding one's voice to that of the mover or proposer.

Sec"ond*a*ri*ly (?), adv. 1. In a secondary manner or degree.

2. Secondly; in the second place. [Obs.]

God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers.

1 Cor. xii. 28.

Sec"ond*a*ri*ness, n. The state of being secondary.

Full of a girl's sweet sense of secondariness to the object of her love.

Mrs. Oliphant.

Sec"ond*a*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. secondaire, L. secundaire. See Second, a.] 1. Succeeding next in order to the first; of second place, origin, rank, etc.; not primary; subordinate; not of the first order or rate.

Wheresoever there is moral right on the one hand, no secondary right can discharge it.

L'Estrange.

Two are the radical differences; the secondary differences are as four.

Bacon.

2. Acting by deputation or delegated authority; as, the work of secondary hands.

3. (Chem.) Possessing some quality, or having been subject to some operation (as substitution), in the second degree; as, a secondary salt, a secondary amine, etc. Cf. primary.

4. (Min.) Subsequent in origin; -- said of minerals produced by alteration or deposition subsequent to the formation of the original rock mass; also of characters of minerals (as secondary cleavage, etc.) developed by pressure or other causes.

5. (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the second joint of the wing of a bird.

6. (Med.) (a) Dependent or consequent upon another disease; as, Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever. (b) Occurring in the second stage of a disease; as, the secondary symptoms of syphilis.

Secondary accent. See the Note under Accent, n., 1. -- Secondary age. (Geol.) The Mesozoic age, or age before the Tertiary. See Mesozoic, and Note under Age, n., 8. -- Secondary alcohol (Chem.), any one of a series of alcohols which contain the radical CH.OH united with two hydrocarbon radicals. On oxidation the secondary alcohols form ketones. -- Secondary amputation (Surg.), an amputation for injury, performed after the constitutional effects of the injury have subsided. -- Secondary axis (Opt.), any line which passes through the optical center of a lens but not through the centers of curvature, or, in the case of a mirror, which passes through the center of curvature but not through the center of the mirror. -- Secondary battery. (Elec.) See under Battery, n., 4. -- Secondary circle (Geom. & Astron.), a great circle that passes through the poles of another great circle and is therefore perpendicular to its plane. -- Secondary circuit, Secondary coil (Elec.), a circuit or coil in which a current is produced by the induction of a current in a neighboring circuit or coil called the primary circuit or coil. -- Secondary color, a color formed by mixing any two primary colors in equal proportions. -- Secondary coverts (Zoöl.), the longer coverts which overlie the basal part of the secondary quills of a bird. See Illust. under Bird. -- Secondary crystal (Min.), a crystal derived from one of the primary forms. -- Secondary current (Elec.), a momentary current induced in a closed circuit by a current of electricity passing through the same or a contiguous circuit at the beginning and also at the end of the passage of the primary current. -- Secondary evidence, that which is admitted upon failure to obtain the primary or best evidence. -- Secondary fever (Med.), a fever coming on in a disease after the subsidence of the fever with which the disease began, as the fever which attends the outbreak of the eruption in smallpox. -- Secondary hemorrhage (Med.), hemorrhage occuring from a wounded blood vessel at some considerable time after the original bleeding has ceased. -- Secondary planet. (Astron.) See the Note under Planet. -- Secondary qualities, those qualities of bodies which are not inseparable from them as such, but are dependent for their development and intensity on the organism of the percipient, such as color, taste, odor, etc. -- Secondary quills or remiges (Zoöl.), the quill feathers arising from the forearm of a bird and forming a row continuous with the primaries; -- called also secondaries. See Illust. of Bird. -- Secondary rocks or strata (Geol.), those lying between the Primary, or Paleozoic, and Tertiary (see Primary rocks, under Primary); -- later restricted to strata of the Mesozoic age, and at present but little used. -- Secondary syphilis (Med.), the second stage of syphilis, including the period from the first development of constitutional symptoms to the time when the bones and the internal organs become involved. -- Secondary tint, any subdued tint, as gray. -- Secondary union (Surg.), the union of wounds after suppuration; union by the second intention.

Syn. -- Second; second-rate; subordinate; inferior.

Sec"ond*a*ry (?), n.; pl. Secondaries (&?;). 1. One who occupies a subordinate, inferior, or auxiliary place; a delegate or deputy; one who is second or next to the chief officer; as, the secondary, or undersheriff of the city of London.

Old Escalus . . . is thy secondary.

Shak.

2. (Astron.) (a) A secondary circle. (b) A satellite.

3. (Zoöl.) A secondary quill.

Sec"ond-class` (?), a. Of the rank or degree below the best or highest; inferior; second-rate; as, a second-class house; a second-class passage.

Sec"ond*er (?), n. One who seconds or supports what another attempts, affirms, moves, or proposes; as, the seconder of an enterprise or of a motion.

Sec"ond*hand` (?), a. 1. Not original or primary; received from another.

They have but a secondhand or implicit knowledge.

Locke.

2. Not new; already or previously possessed or used by another; as, a secondhand book, garment.

At second hand. See Hand, n., 10.

Sec"ond*ly, adv. In the second place.

||Se*con"do (s*kn"d; It. s*kn"d), n. [It.] (Mus.) The second part in a ||concerted piece.

Sec"ond-rate` (?), a. Of the second size, rank, quality, or value; as, a second-rate ship; second-rate cloth; a second-rate champion. Dryden.

Sec"ond-sight` (?), n. The power of discerning what is not visible to the physical eye, or of foreseeing future events, esp. such as are of a disastrous kind; the capacity of a seer; prophetic vision.

He was seized with a fit of second- sight.

Addison.

Nor less availed his optic sleight, And Scottish gift of second-sight.

Trumbull.

Sec"ond-sight`ed, a. Having the power of second-sight. [R.] Addison.

Se"cre (? or ?), a. Secret; secretive; faithful to a secret. [Obs.]

To be holden stable and secre.

Chaucer.

Se"cre, n. A secret. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Se"cre*cy (?), n.; pl. Secrecies (#). [From Secret.] 1. The state or quality of being hidden; as, his movements were detected in spite of their secrecy.

The Lady Anne, Whom the king hath in secrecy long married.

Shak.

2. That which is concealed; a secret. [R.] Shak.

3. Seclusion; privacy; retirement. "The pensive secrecy of desert cell." Milton.

4. The quality of being secretive; fidelity to a secret; forbearance of disclosure or discovery.

It is not with public as with private prayer; in this, rather secrecy is commanded than outward show.

Hooker.

Se"cre*ly (?), adv. Secretly. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Se"cre*ness, n. Secrecy; privacy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Se"cret (?), a. [F. secret (cf. Sp. & Pg. secreto, It. secreto, segreto), fr. L. secretus, p. p. of secernere to put apart, to separate. See Certain, and cf. Secrete, Secern.] 1. Hidden; concealed; as, secret treasure; secret plans; a secret vow. Shak.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us.

Deut. xxix. 29.

2. Withdrawn from general intercourse or notice; in retirement or secrecy; secluded.

There, secret in her sapphire cell, He with the Naïs wont to dwell.

Fenton.

3. Faithful to a secret; not inclined to divulge or betray confidence; secretive. [R.]

Secret Romans, that have spoke the word, And will not palter.

Shak.

4. Separate; distinct. [Obs.]

They suppose two other divine hypostases superior thereunto, which were perfectly secret from matter.

Cudworth.

Syn. -- Hidden; concealed; secluded; retired; unseen; unknown; private; obscure; recondite; latent; covert; clandestine; privy. See Hidden.

Se"cret, n. [F. secret (cf. Pr. secret, Sp. & Pg. secreto, It. secreto, segreto), from L. secretum. See Secret, a.] 1. Something studiously concealed; a thing kept from general knowledge; what is not revealed, or not to be revealed.

To tell our own secrets is often folly; to communicate those of others is treachery.

Rambler.

2. A thing not discovered; what is unknown or unexplained; a mystery.

All secrets of the deep, all nature's works.

Milton.

3. pl. The parts which modesty and propriety require to be concealed; the genital organs.

In secret, in a private place; in privacy or secrecy; in a state or place not seen; privately.

Bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

Prov. ix. 17.

Se"cret (?), v. t. To keep secret. [Obs.] Bacon.

Se"cret*age (?), n. [F.] A process in which mercury, or some of its salts, is employed to impart the property of felting to certain kinds of furs. Ure.

Sec`re*ta"ri*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a secretary; befitting a secretary. [R.]

Secretarial, diplomatic, or other official training.

Carlyle.

{ Sec`re*ta"ri*at (?), Sec`re*ta"ri*ate (?), } n. [F. secrétariat.] The office of a secretary; the place where a secretary transacts business, keeps records, etc.

Sec"re*ta*ry (?), n.; pl. Secretaries (#). [F. secrétaire (cf. Pr. secretari, Sp. & Pg. secretario, It. secretario, segretario) LL. secretarius, originally, a confidant, one intrusted with secrets, from L. secretum a secret. See Secret, a. & n.] 1. One who keeps, or is intrusted with, secrets. [R.]

2. A person employed to write orders, letters, dispatches, public or private papers, records, and the like; an official scribe, amanuensis, or writer; one who attends to correspondence, and transacts other business, for an association, a public body, or an individual.

That which is most of all profitable is acquaintance with the secretaries, and employed men of ambassadors.

Bacon.

3. An officer of state whose business is to superintend and manage the affairs of a particular department of government, and who is usually a member of the cabinet or advisory council of the chief executive; as, the secretary of state, who conducts the correspondence and attends to the relations of a government with foreign courts; the secretary of the treasury, who manages the department of finance; the secretary of war, etc.

4. A piece of furniture, with conveniences for writing and for the arrangement of papers; an escritoire.

5. (Zoöl.) The secretary bird.

Secretary bird. [So called in allusion to the tufts of feathers at the back of its head, which were fancifully thought to resemble pens stuck behind the ear.] (Zoöl.) A large long-legged raptorial bird (Gypogeranus serpentarius), native of South Africa, but now naturalized in the West Indies and some other tropical countries. It has a powerful hooked beak, a crest of long feathers, and a long tail. It feeds upon reptiles of various kinds, and is much prized on account of its habit of killing and devouring snakes of all kinds. Called also serpent eater.

Syn. -- See the Note under Clerk, n., 4.

Sec"re*ta*ry*ship, n. The office, or the term of office, of a secretary.

Se*crete" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Secreted; p. pr. & vb. n. Secreting.] [L. secretus separated, secret, hidden, p. p. of secernere. See Secret, and cf. Discrete, Discreet.] 1. To deposit in a place of hiding; to hide; to conceal; as, to secrete stolen goods; to secrete one's self.

2. (Physiol.) To separate from the blood and elaborate by the process of secretion; to elaborate and emit as a secretion. See Secretion.

Why one set of cells should secrete bile, another urea, and so on, we do not know.

Carpenter.

Syn. -- To conceal; hide. See Conceal.

Se*cre"tion (?), n. [L. secretio: cf. F. sécrétion.] 1. The act of secreting or concealing; as, the secretion of dutiable goods.

2. (Physiol.) The act of secreting; the process by which material is separated from the blood through the agency of the cells of the various glands and elaborated by the cells into new substances so as to form the various secretions, as the saliva, bile, and other digestive fluids. The process varies in the different glands, and hence are formed the various secretions.

3. (Physiol.) Any substance or fluid secreted, or elaborated and emitted, as the gastric juice.

Se"cret*ist (?), n. A dealer in secrets. [Obs.]

Se`cre*ti"tious (?), a. Parted by animal secretion; as, secretitious humors. Floyer.

Se*cret"ive (?), a. Tending to secrete, or to keep secret or private; as, a secretive disposition.

Se*cret"ive*ness, n. 1. The quality of being secretive; disposition or tendency to conceal.

2. (Phren.) The faculty or propensity which impels to reserve, secrecy, or concealment.

Se"cret*ly (?), adv. In a secret manner.

Se"cret*ness, n. 1. The state or quality of being secret, hid, or concealed.

2. Secretiveness; concealment. Donne.

Se*cre`to-mo"to*ry (?), a. (Physiol.) Causing secretion; -- said of nerves which go to glands and influence secretion.

Se*cre"to*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. sécrétoire. See Secrete.] (Physiol.) Secreting; performing, or connected with, the office of secretion; secernent; as, secretory vessels, nerves. -- n. A secretory vessel; a secernent.

Sect (skt), n. [L. secare, sectum, to cut.] A cutting; a scion. [Obs.] Shak.

Sect (skt), n. [F. secte, L. secta, fr. sequi to follow; often confused with L. secare, sectum, to cut. See Sue to follow, and cf. Sept, Suit, n.] Those following a particular leader or authority, or attached to a certain opinion; a company or set having a common belief or allegiance distinct from others; in religion, the believers in a particular creed, or upholders of a particular practice; especially, in modern times, a party dissenting from an established church; a denomination; in philosophy, the disciples of a particular master; a school; in society and the state, an order, rank, class, or party.

He beareth the sign of poverty, And in that sect our Savior saved all mankind.

Piers Plowman.

As of the sect of which that he was born, He kept his lay, to which that he was sworn.

Chaucer.

The cursed sect of that detestable and false prophet Mohammed.

Fabyan.

As concerning this sect [Christians], we know that everywhere it is spoken against.

Acts xxviii. 22.

Sec"tant (?), n. [L. secare, sectum, to cut.] One of the portions of space bounded by the three coordinate planes. Specif. (Crystallog.), one of the parts of a crystal into which it is divided by the axial planes.

Sec*ta"ri*an (?), a. Pertaining to a sect, or to sects; peculiar to a sect; bigotedly attached to the tenets and interests of a denomination; as, sectarian principles or prejudices.

Sec*ta"ri*an, n. One of a sect; a member or adherent of a special school, denomination, or religious or philosophical party; one of a party in religion which has separated itself from established church, or which holds tenets different from those of the prevailing denomination in a state.

Syn. -- See Heretic.

Sec*ta"ri*an*ism (?), n. The quality or character of a sectarian; devotion to the interests of a party; excess of partisan or denominational zeal; adherence to a separate church organization.

Sec*ta"ri*an*ize (?), v. t. To imbue with sectarian feelings; to subject to the control of a sect.

Sec"ta*rism, n. Sectarianism. [Obs.]

Sec"ta*rist (?), n. A sectary. [R.] T. Warton.

Sec"ta*ry (?), n.;pl. Sectaries (#). [F. sectaire. See Sect.] A sectarian; a member or adherent of a sect; a follower or disciple of some particular teacher in philosophy or religion; one who separates from an established church; a dissenter.

I never knew that time in England when men of truest religion were not counted sectaries.

Milton.

Sec*ta"tor (?), n. [L., fr. sectari, v. intens. fr. sequi to follow. See Sue to follow.] A follower; a disciple; an adherent to a sect. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.

Sec"tile (?), a. [L. sectilis, fr. secare, sectum, to cut: cf. F. sectile. See Section.] Capable of being cut; specifically (Min.), capable of being severed by the knife with a smooth cut; -- said of minerals.

Sec*til"i*ty (?), n. The state or quality of being sectile.

Sec"tion (?), n. [L. sectio, fr. secare, sectum, to cut; akin to E. saw a cutting instrument: cf. F. section. See Saw, and cf. Scion, Dissect, Insect, Secant, Segment.] 1. The act of cutting, or separation by cutting; as, the section of bodies.

2. A part separated from something; a division; a portion; a slice. Specifically: --

(a) A distinct part or portion of a book or writing; a subdivision of a chapter; the division of a law or other writing; a paragraph; an article; hence, the character §, often used to denote such a division.

It is hardly possible to give a distinct view of his several arguments in distinct sections.

Locke.

(b) A distinct part of a country or people, community, class, or the like; a part of a territory separated by geographical lines, or of a people considered as distinct.

The extreme section of one class consists of bigoted dotards, the extreme section of the other consists of shallow and reckless empirics.

Macaulay.

(c) One of the portions, of one square mile each, into which the public lands of the United States are divided; one thirty-sixth part of a township. These sections are subdivided into quarter sections for sale under the homestead and preëmption laws.

3. (Geom.) The figure made up of all the points common to a superficies and a solid which meet, or to two superficies which meet, or to two lines which meet. In the first case the section is a superficies, in the second a line, and in the third a point.

4. (Nat. Hist.) A division of a genus; a group of species separated by some distinction from others of the same genus; -- often indicated by the sign §.

5. (Mus.) A part of a musical period, composed of one or more phrases. See Phrase.

6. The description or representation of anything as it would appear if cut through by any intersecting plane; depiction of what is beyond a plane passing through, or supposed to pass through, an object, as a building, a machine, a succession of strata; profile.

In mechanical drawing, as in these Illustrations of a cannon, a longitudinal section (a) usually represents the object as cut through its center lengthwise and vertically; a cross or transverse section (b), as cut crosswise and vertically; and a horizontal section (c), as cut through its center horizontally. Oblique sections are made at various angles. In architecture, a vertical section is a drawing showing the interior, the thickness of the walls, etc., as if made on a vertical plane passed through a building.

Angular sections (Math.), a branch of analysis which treats of the relations of sines, tangents, etc., of arcs to the sines, tangents, etc., of their multiples or of their parts. [R.] -- Conic sections. (Geom.) See under Conic. -- Section liner (Drawing), an instrument to aid in drawing a series of equidistant parallel lines, -- used in representing sections. -- Thin section, a section or slice, as of mineral, animal, or vegetable substance, thin enough to be transparent, and used for study under the microscope.

Syn. -- Part; portion; division. -- Section, Part. The English more commonly apply the word section to a part or portion of a body of men; as, a section of the clergy, a small section of the Whigs, etc. In the United States this use is less common, but another use, unknown or but little known in England, is very frequent, as in the phrases "the eastern section of our country," etc., the same sense being also given to the adjective sectional; as, sectional feelings, interests, etc.

Sec"tion*al (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to a section or distinct part of larger body or territory; local.

All sectional interests, or party feelings, it is hoped, will hereafter yield to schemes of ambition.

Story.

2. Consisting of sections, or capable of being divided into sections; as, a sectional steam boiler.

Sec"tion*al*ism (?), n. A disproportionate regard for the interests peculiar to a section of the country; local patriotism, as distinguished from national. [U. S.]

Sec"tion*al"i*ty (?), n. The state or quality of being sectional; sectionalism.

Sec"tion*al*ize (?), v. t. To divide according to geographical sections or local interests. [U. S.]

The principal results of the struggle were to sectionalize parties.

Nicolay & Hay (Life of Lincoln).

Sec"tion*al*ly, adv. In a sectional manner.

Sec"tion*ize (?), v. t. To form into sections. [R.]

Sect"ism (?), n. Devotion to a sect. [R.]

Sect"ist, n. One devoted to a sect; a sectary. [R.]

Sect"i*un`cle (?), n. A little or petty sect. [R.] "Some new sect or sectiuncle." J. Martineau.

Sec"tor (?), n. [L., properly, a cutter, fr. secare, sectum, to cut: cf. F. secteur. See Section.] 1. (Geom.) A part of a circle comprehended between two radii and the included arc.

2. A mathematical instrument, consisting of two rulers connected at one end by a joint, each arm marked with several scales, as of equal parts, chords, sines, tangents, etc., one scale of each kind on each arm, and all on lines radiating from the common center of motion. The sector is used for plotting, etc., to any scale.

3. An astronomical instrument, the limb of which embraces a small portion only of a circle, used for measuring differences of declination too great for the compass of a micrometer. When it is used for measuring zenith distances of stars, it is called a zenith sector.

Dip sector, an instrument used for measuring the dip of the horizon. -- Sector of a sphere, or Spherical sector, the solid generated by the revolution of the sector of a circle about one of its radii, or, more rarely, about any straight line drawn in the plane of the sector through its vertex.

Sec"tor*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a sector; as, a sectoral circle.

Sec*to"ri*al (?), a. (Anat.) Adapted for cutting. -- n. A sectorial, or carnassial, tooth.

Sec"u*lar (?), a. [OE. secular, seculer. L. saecularis, fr. saeculum a race, generation, age, the times, the world; perhaps akin to E. soul: cf. F. séculier.] 1. Coming or observed once in an age or a century.

The secular year was kept but once a century.

Addison.

2. Pertaining to an age, or the progress of ages, or to a long period of time; accomplished in a long progress of time; as, secular inequality; the secular refrigeration of the globe.

3. Of or pertaining to this present world, or to things not spiritual or holy; relating to temporal as distinguished from eternal interests; not immediately or primarily respecting the soul, but the body; worldly.

New foes arise, Threatening to bind our souls with secular chains.

Milton.

4. (Eccl.) Not regular; not bound by monastic vows or rules; not confined to a monastery, or subject to the rules of a religious community; as, a secular priest.

He tried to enforce a stricter discipline and greater regard for morals, both in the religious orders and the secular clergy.

Prescott.

5. Belonging to the laity; lay; not clerical.

I speak of folk in secular estate.

Chaucer.

Secular equation (Astron.), the algebraic or numerical expression of the magnitude of the inequalities in a planet's motion that remain after the inequalities of a short period have been allowed for. -- Secular games (Rom. Antiq.), games celebrated, at long but irregular intervals, for three days and nights, with sacrifices, theatrical shows, combats, sports, and the like. -- Secular music, any music or songs not adapted to sacred uses. -- Secular hymn or poem, a hymn or poem composed for the secular games, or sung or rehearsed at those games.

Sec"u*lar, n. 1. (Eccl.) A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules. Burke.

2. (Eccl.) A church official whose functions are confined to the vocal department of the choir. Busby.

3. A layman, as distinguished from a clergyman.

Sec"u*lar*ism (?), n. 1. The state or quality of being secular; a secular spirit; secularity.

2. The tenets or principles of the secularists.

Sec"u*lar*ist, n. One who theoretically rejects every form of religious faith, and every kind of religious worship, and accepts only the facts and influences which are derived from the present life; also, one who believes that education and other matters of civil policy should be managed without the introduction of a religious element.

Sec`u*lar"i*ty (?), n. [Cf.F. sécularité, LL. saecularitas.] Supreme attention to the things of the present life; worldliness.

A secularity of character which makes Christianity and its principal doctrines distasteful or unintelligible.

I. Taylor.

Sec`u*lar*i*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. sécularisation.] The act of rendering secular, or the state of being rendered secular; conversion from regular or monastic to secular; conversion from religious to lay or secular possession and uses; as, the secularization of church property.

Sec"u*lar*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Secularized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Secularizing (?).] [Cf. F. séculariser.] 1. To convert from regular or monastic into secular; as, to secularize a priest or a monk.

2. To convert from spiritual to secular or common use; as, to secularize a church, or church property.

At the Reformation the abbey was secularized.

W. Coxe.

3. To make worldly or unspiritual. Bp. Horsley.

Sec"u*lar*ly, adv. In a secular or worldly manner.

Sec"u*lar*ness, n. The quality or state of being secular; worldliness; worldly-mindedness.

Se"cund (?), a. [L. secundus following the course or current of wind or water. See Second, a.] (Bot.) Arranged on one side only, as flowers or leaves on a stalk. Gray.

Se*cun"date (?), v. t. [L. secundatus, p. p. of secundare to direct favorably.] To make prosperous. [R.]

Sec`un*da"tion (?), n. Prosperity. [R.]

Sec"un*dine (?), n. [Cf. F. secondine.] 1. (Bot.) The second coat, or integument, of an ovule, lying within the primine.

In the ripened seed the primine and secundine are usually united to form the testa, or outer seed coat. When they remain distinct the secundine becomes the mesosperm, as in the castor bean.

2. [Cf. F. secondines.] The afterbirth, or placenta and membranes; -- generally used in the plural.

Se*cun`do-gen"i*ture (?), n. [L. secundus second + genitura a begetting, generation.] A right of inheritance belonging to a second son; a property or possession so inherited.

The kingdom of Naples . . . was constituted a secundo-geniture of Spain.

Bancroft.

Se*cur"a*ble (?), a. That may be secured.

Se*cure" (?), a. [L. securus; pref. se- without + cura care. See Cure care, and cf. Sure, a.] 1. Free from fear, care, or anxiety; easy in mind; not feeling suspicion or distrust; confident.

But thou, secure of soul, unbent with woes.

Dryden.

2. Overconfident; incautious; careless; -- in a bad sense. Macaulay.

3. Confident in opinion; not entertaining, or not having reason to entertain, doubt; certain; sure; -- commonly with of; as, secure of a welcome.

Confidence then bore thee on, secure Either to meet no danger, or to find Matter of glorious trial.

Milton.

4. Not exposed to danger; safe; -- applied to persons and things, and followed by against or from. "Secure from fortune's blows." Dryden.

Syn. -- Safe; undisturbed; easy; sure; certain; assured; confident; careless; heedless; inattentive.

Se*cure", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Secured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Securing.] 1. To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect.

I spread a cloud before the victor's sight, Sustained the vanquished, and secured his flight.

Dryden.

2. To put beyond hazard of losing or of not receiving; to make certain; to assure; to insure; -- frequently with against or from, rarely with of; as, to secure a creditor against loss; to secure a debt by a mortgage.

It secures its possessor of eternal happiness.

T. Dick.

3. To make fast; to close or confine effectually; to render incapable of getting loose or escaping; as, to secure a prisoner; to secure a door, or the hatches of a ship.

4. To get possession of; to make one's self secure of; to acquire certainly; as, to secure an estate.

Secure arms (Mil.), a command and a position in the manual of arms, used in wet weather, the object being to guard the firearm from becoming wet. The piece is turned with the barrel to the front and grasped by the right hand at the lower band, the muzzle is dropped to the front, and the piece held with the guard under the right arm, the hand supported against the hip, and the thumb on the rammer.

Se*cure"ly, adv. In a secure manner; without fear or apprehension; without danger; safely.

His daring foe . . . securely him defied.

Milton.

Se*cure"ment (?), n. The act of securing; protection. [R.]

Society condemns the securement in all cases of perpetual protection by means of perpetual imprisonment.

C. A. Ives.

Se*cure"ness, n. The condition or quality of being secure; exemption from fear; want of vigilance; security.

Se*cur"er (?), n. One who, or that which, secures.

||Sec`u*rif"e*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., from L. securis an ax + ferre to ||bear.] (Zoöl.) The Serrifera.

Se*cu"ri*form (?), a. [L. securis an ax or hatchet + -form: cf. F. sécuriforme.] (Nat. Hist.) Having the form of an ax or hatchet.

Se*cu"ri*palp (?), n. [L. securis ax, hatchet + E. palp.] (Zoöl.) One of a family of beetles having the maxillary palpi terminating in a hatchet- shaped joint.

Se*cu"ri*ty (?), n.; pl. Securities (#). [L. securitas: cf. F. sécurité. See Secure, and cf. Surety.] 1. The condition or quality of being secure; secureness. Specifically: (a) Freedom from apprehension, anxiety, or care; confidence of power or safety; hence, assurance; certainty.

His trembling hand had lost the ease, Which marks security to please.

Sir W. Scott.

(b) Hence, carelessness; negligence; heedlessness.

He means, my lord, that we are too remiss, Whilst Bolingbroke, through our security, Grows strong and great in substance and in power.

Shak.

(c) Freedom from risk; safety.

Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard, From firm security.

Shak.

Some . . . alleged that we should have no security for our trade.

Swift.

2. That which secures or makes safe; protection; guard; defense. Specifically: (a) Something given, deposited, or pledged, to make certain the fulfillment of an obligation, the performance of a contract, the payment of a debt, or the like; surety; pledge.

Those who lent him money lent it on no security but his bare word.

Macaulay.

(b) One who becomes surety for another, or engages himself for the performance of another's obligation.

3. An evidence of debt or of property, as a bond, a certificate of stock, etc.; as, government securities.

Syn. -- Protection; defense; guard; shelter; safety; certainty; ease; assurance; carelessness; confidence; surety; pledge; bail.

Se*dan" (?), n. [Said to be named from Sedan, in France, where it was first made, and whence it was introduced into England in the time of King Charles I.] A portable chair or covered vehicle for carrying a single person, -- usually borne on poles by two men. Called also sedan chair.

Se*date" (?), a. [L. sedatus, p. p. of sedare, sedatum, to allay, calm, causative of sedere to sit. See Sit.] Undisturbed by passion or caprice; calm; tranquil; serene; not passionate or giddy; composed; staid; as, a sedate soul, mind, or temper.

Disputation carries away the mind from that calm and sedate temper which is so necessary to contemplate truth.

I. Watts.

Whatsoever we feel and know Too sedate for outward show.

Wordsworth.

Syn. -- Settled; composed; calm; quiet; tranquil; still; serene; unruffled; undisturbed; contemplative; sober; serious.

-- Se*date"ly, adv. -- Se*date"ness, n.

Se*da"tion (?), n. [L. sedatio.] The act of calming, or the state of being calm. [R.] Coles.

Sed"a*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. sédatif.] Tending to calm, moderate, or tranquilize; specifically (Med.), allaying irritability and irritation; assuaging pain.

Sed"a*tive, n. (Med.) A remedy which allays irritability and irritation, and irritative activity or pain.

Se"dent (?), a. [L. sedens, - entis, p. pr. of sedere to sit. See Sit.] Sitting; inactive; quiet. [R.]

Sed"en*ta*ri*ly (?), adv. In a sedentary manner.

Sed"en*ta*ri*ness, n. Quality of being sedentary.

Sed"en*ta*ry (?), a. [L. sedentarius, fr. sedere to sit: cf. F. seédentaire. See Sedent.] 1. Accustomed to sit much or long; as, a sedentary man. "Sedentary, scholastic sophists." Bp. Warburton.

2. Characterized by, or requiring, much sitting; as, a sedentary employment; a sedentary life.

Any education that confined itself to sedentary pursuits was essentially imperfect.

Beaconsfield.

3. Inactive; motionless; sluggish; hence, calm; tranquil. [R.] "The sedentary earth." Milton.

The soul, considered abstractly from its passions, is of a remiss, sedentary nature.

Spectator.

4. Caused by long sitting. [Obs.] "Sedentary numbness." Milton.

5. (Zoöl.) Remaining in one place, especially when firmly attached to some object; as, the oyster is a sedentary mollusk; the barnacles are sedentary crustaceans.

Sedentary spider (Zoöl.), one of a tribe of spiders which rest motionless until their prey is caught in their web.

||Se*de"runt (?), n. [L., they sat, fr. sedere to sit.] A sitting, as ||of a court or other body.

'T is pity we have not Burns's own account of that long sederunt.

Prof. Wilson.

Acts of sederunt (Scots Law), ordinances of the Court of Session for the ordering of processes and expediting of justice. Bell.

Sedge (?), n. [OE. segge, AS. secg; akin to LG. segge; -- probably named from its bladelike appearance, and akin to L. secare to cut, E. saw a cutting instrument; cf. Ir. seisg, W. hesg. Cf. Hassock, Saw the instrument.] 1. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Carex, perennial, endogenous, innutritious herbs, often growing in dense tufts in marshy places. They have triangular jointless stems, a spiked inflorescence, and long grasslike leaves which are usually rough on the margins and midrib. There are several hundred species.

The name is sometimes given to any other plant of the order Cyperaceæ, which includes Carex, Cyperus, Scirpus, and many other genera of rushlike plants.

2. (Zoöl.) A flock of herons.

Sedge hen (Zoöl.), the clapper rail. See under 5th Rail. -- Sedge warbler (Zoöl.), a small European singing bird (Acrocephalus phragmitis). It often builds its nest among reeds; -- called also sedge bird, sedge wren, night warbler, and Scotch nightingale.

Sedged (?), a. Made or composed of sedge.

With your sedged crowns and ever-harmless looks.

Shak.

Sedg"y (?), a. Overgrown with sedge.

On the gentle Severn\'b6s sedgy bank.

Shak.

||Se*dil"i*a (?), n. pl.; sing. Sedile (&?;). [L. sedile a seat.] ||(Arch.) Seats in the chancel of a church near the altar for the ||officiating clergy during intervals of service. Hook.

Sed"i*ment (?), n. [F. sédiment, L. sedimentum a settling, fr. sedere to sit, to settle. See Sit.] 1. The matter which subsides to the bottom, from water or any other liquid; settlings; lees; dregs.

2. (Geol.) The material of which sedimentary rocks are formed.

Sed`i*men"tal (?), a. Sedimentary.

Sed`i*men"ta*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. sédimentaire.] Of or pertaining to sediment; formed by sediment; containing matter that has subsided.

Sedimentary rocks. (Geol.) See Aqueous rocks, under Aqueous.

Sed`i*men*ta"tion (?), n. The act of depositing a sediment; specifically (Geol.), the deposition of the material of which sedimentary rocks are formed.

Se*di"tion (?), n. [OE. sedicioun, OF. sedition, F. sédition, fr. L. seditio, originally, a going aside; hence, an insurrectionary separation; pref. se-, sed-, aside + itio a going, fr. ire, itum, to go. Cf. Issue.] 1. The raising of commotion in a state, not amounting to insurrection; conduct tending to treason, but without an overt act; excitement of discontent against the government, or of resistance to lawful authority.

In soothing them, we nourish 'gainst our senate The cockle of rebellion, insolence, sedition.

Shak.

Noisy demagogues who had been accused of sedition.

Macaulay.

2. Dissension; division; schism. [Obs.]

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, . . . emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies.

Gal. v. 19, 20.

Syn. -- Insurrection; tumult; uproar; riot; rebellion; revolt. See Insurrection.

Se*di"tion*a*ry (?), n. An inciter or promoter of sedition. Bp. Hall.

Se*di"tious (?), a.[L. seditiosus: cf. F. séditieux.] 1. Of or pertaining to sedition; partaking of the nature of, or tending to excite, sedition; as, seditious behavior; seditious strife; seditious words.

2. Disposed to arouse, or take part in, violent opposition to lawful authority; turbulent; factious; guilty of sedition; as, seditious citizens.

-- Se*di"tious*ly, adv. -- Se*di"tious*ness, n.

Sed"litz (?), a. Same as Seidlitz.

Se*duce" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seduced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seducing (?).] [L. seducere, seductum; pref. se- aside + ducere to lead. See Duke.] 1. To draw aside from the path of rectitude and duty in any manner; to entice to evil; to lead astray; to tempt and lead to iniquity; to corrupt.

For me, the gold of France did not seduce.

Shak.

2. Specifically, to induce to surrender chastity; to debauch by means of solicitation.

Syn. -- To allure; entice; tempt; attract; mislead; decoy; inveigle. See Allure.

Se*duce"ment (?), n. 1. The act of seducing.

2. The means employed to seduce, as flattery, promises, deception, etc.; arts of enticing or corrupting. Pope.

Se*du"cer (?), n. One who, or that which, seduces; specifically, one who prevails over the chastity of a woman by enticements and persuasions.

He whose firm faith no reason could remove, Will melt before that soft seducer, love.

Dryden.

Se*du"ci*ble (?), a. Capable of being seduced; corruptible.

Se*du"cing (?), a. Seductive. "Thy sweet seducing charms." Cowper. -- Se*du"cing*ly, adv.

Se*duc*tion (?), n. [L. seductio: cf. F. séduction. See Seduce.] 1. The act of seducing; enticement to wrong doing; specifically, the offense of inducing a woman to consent to unlawful sexual intercourse, by enticements which overcome her scruples; the wrong or crime of persuading a woman to surrender her chastity.

2. That which seduces, or is adapted to seduce; means of leading astray; as, the seductions of wealth.

Se*duc"tive (?), a. Tending to lead astray; apt to mislead by flattering appearances; tempting; alluring; as, a seductive offer.

This may enable us to understand how seductive is the influence of example.

Sir W. Hamilton.

Se*duc"tive*ly, adv. In a seductive manner.

Se*duc"tress (?), n. A woman who seduces.

Se*du"li*ty (?), n. [L. sedulitas. See Sedulous.] The quality or state of being sedulous; diligent and assiduous application; constant attention; unremitting industry; sedulousness.

The industrious bee, by his sedulity in summer, lives in honey all the winter.

Feltham.

Sed"u*lous (?; 135), a. [L. sedulus, perhaps from sedere to sit, and so akin to E. sit.] Diligent in application or pursuit; constant, steady, and persevering in business, or in endeavors to effect an object; steadily industrious; assiduous; as, the sedulous bee.

What signifies the sound of words in prayer, without the affection of the heart, and a sedulous application of the proper means that may naturally lead us to such an end?

L'Estrange.

Syn. -- Assiduous; diligent; industrious; laborious; unremitting; untiring; unwearied; persevering.

-- Sed"u*lous*ly, adv. -- Sed"u*lous*ness, n.

||Se"dum (?), n. [NL., fr. L. sedere to sit; so called in allusion to ||the manner in which the plants attach themselves to rocks and walls.] ||(Bot.) A genus of plants, mostly perennial, having succulent leaves ||and cymose flowers; orpine; stonecrop. Gray.

See (?), n. [OE. se, see, OF. se, sed, sied, fr. L. sedes a seat, or the kindred sedere to sit. See Sit, and cf. Siege.] 1. A seat; a site; a place where sovereign power is exercised. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Jove laughed on Venus from his sovereign see.

Spenser.

2. Specifically: (a) The seat of episcopal power; a diocese; the jurisdiction of a bishop; as, the see of New York. (b) The seat of an archbishop; a province or jurisdiction of an archbishop; as, an archiepiscopal see. (c) The seat, place, or office of the pope, or Roman pontiff; as, the papal see. (d) The pope or his court at Rome; as, to appeal to the see of Rome.

Apostolic see. See under Apostolic.

See (s), v. t. [imp. Saw (s); p. p. Seen (sn); p. pr. & vb. n. Seeing.] [OE. seen, sen, seon, AS. seón; akin to OFries. sa, D. zien, OS. & OHG. sehan, G. sehen, Icel. sj, Sw. se, Dan. see, Goth. saíhwan, and probably to L. sequi to follow (and so originally meaning, to follow with the eyes). Gr. "e`pesqai, Skr. sac. Cf. Sight, Sue to follow.] 1. To perceive by the eye; to have knowledge of the existence and apparent qualities of by the organs of sight; to behold; to descry; to view.

I will now turn aside, and see this great sight.

Ex. iii. 3.

2. To perceive by mental vision; to form an idea or conception of; to note with the mind; to observe; to discern; to distinguish; to understand; to comprehend; to ascertain.

Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren.

Gen. xxxvii. 14.

Jesus saw that he answered discreetly.

Mark xii. 34.

Who's so gross That seeth not this palpable device?

Shak.

3. To follow with the eyes, or as with the eyes; to watch; to regard attentively; to look after. Shak.

I had a mind to see him out, and therefore did not care for contradicting him.

Addison.

4. To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit; as, to go to see a friend.

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death.

1 Sam. xv. 35.

5. To fall in with; to meet or associate with; to have intercourse or communication with; hence, to have knowledge or experience of; as, to see military service.

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

Ps. xc. 15.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

John viii. 51.

Improvement in wisdom and prudence by seeing men.

Locke.

6. To accompany in person; to escort; to wait upon; as, to see one home; to see one aboard the cars.

God you (him, or me, etc.) see, God keep you (him, me, etc.) in his sight; God protect you. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To see (anything) out, to see (it) to the end; to be present at, or attend, to the end. -- To see stars, to see flashes of light, like stars; -- sometimes the result of concussion of the head. [Colloq.] -- To see (one) through, to help, watch, or guard (one) to the end of a course or an undertaking.

See, v. i. 1. To have the power of sight, or of perceiving by the proper organs; to possess or employ the sense of vision; as, he sees distinctly.

Whereas I was blind, now I see.

John ix. 25.

2. Figuratively: To have intellectual apprehension; to perceive; to know; to understand; to discern; -- often followed by a preposition, as through, or into.

For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

John ix. 39.

Many sagacious persons will find us out, . . . and see through all our fine pretensions.

Tillotson.

3. To be attentive; to take care; to give heed; -- generally with to; as, to see to the house.

See that ye fall not out by the way.

Gen. xlv. 24.

Let me see, Let us see, are used to express consideration, or to introduce the particular consideration of a subject, or some scheme or calculation.

Cassio's a proper man, let me see now, - To get his place.

Shak.

See is sometimes used in the imperative for look, or behold. "See. see! upon the banks of Boyne he stands." Halifax.

To see about a thing, to pay attention to it; to consider it. -- To see on, to look at. [Obs.] "She was full more blissful on to see." Chaucer. -- To see to. (a) To look at; to behold; to view. [Obs.] "An altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to" Josh. xxii. 10. (b) To take care about; to look after; as, to see to a fire.

Seed (sd), n.; pl. Seed or Seeds (#). [OE. seed, sed, AS. sd, fr. swan to sow; akin to D. zaad seed, G. saat, Icel. sð, sæði, Goth. manasþs seed of men, world. See Sow to scatter seed, and cf. Colza.] 1. (Bot.) (a) A ripened ovule, consisting of an embryo with one or more integuments, or coverings; as, an apple seed; a currant seed. By germination it produces a new plant. (b) Any small seedlike fruit, though it may consist of a pericarp, or even a calyx, as well as the seed proper; as, parsnip seed; thistle seed.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself.

Gen. i. 11.

The seed proper has an outer and an inner coat, and within these the kernel or nucleus. The kernel is either the embryo alone, or the embryo inclosed in the albumen, which is the material for the nourishment of the developing embryo. The scar on a seed, left where the stem parted from it, is called the hilum, and the closed orifice of the ovule, the micropyle.

2. (Physiol.) The generative fluid of the male; semen; sperm; -- not used in the plural.

3. That from which anything springs; first principle; original; source; as, the seeds of virtue or vice.

4. The principle of production.

Praise of great acts he scatters as a seed, Which may the like in coming ages breed.

Waller.

5. Progeny; offspring; children; descendants; as, the seed of Abraham; the seed of David.

In this sense the word is applied to one person, or to any number collectively, and admits of the plural form, though rarely used in the plural.

6. Race; generation; birth.

Of mortal seed they were not held.

Waller.

Seed bag (Artesian well), a packing to prevent percolation of water down the bore hole. It consists of a bag encircling the tubing and filled with flax seed, which swells when wet and fills the space between the tubing and the sides of the hole. -- Seed bud (Bot.), the germ or rudiment of the plant in the embryo state; the ovule. -- Seed coat (Bot.), the covering of a seed. -- Seed corn, or Seed grain (Bot.), corn or grain for seed. -- Seed down (Bot.), the soft hairs on certain seeds, as cotton seed. -- Seed drill. See 6th Drill, 2 (a). -- Seed eater (Zoöl.), any finch of the genera Sporophila, and Crithagra. They feed mainly on seeds. -- Seed gall (Zoöl.), any gall which resembles a seed, formed on the leaves of various plants, usually by some species of Phylloxera. -- Seed leaf (Bot.), a cotyledon. -- Seed lobe (Bot.), a cotyledon; a seed leaf. -- Seed oil, oil expressed from the seeds of plants. -- Seed oyster, a young oyster, especially when of a size suitable for transplantation to a new locality. -- Seed pearl, a small pearl of little value. -- Seed plat, or Seed plot, the ground on which seeds are sown, to produce plants for transplanting; a nursery. -- Seed stalk (Bot.), the stalk of an ovule or seed; a funicle. -- Seed tick (Zoöl.), one of several species of ticks resembling seeds in form and color. -- Seed vessel (Bot.), that part of a plant which contains the seeds; a pericarp. -- Seed weevil (Zoöl.), any one of numerous small weevils, especially those of the genus Apion, which live in the seeds of various plants. -- Seed wool, cotton wool not yet cleansed of its seeds. [Southern U.S.]

Seed (?), v. i. 1. To sow seed.

2. To shed the seed. Mortimer.

3. To grow to maturity, and produce seed.

Many interests have grown up, and seeded, and twisted their roots in the crevices of many wrongs.

Landor.

Seed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Seeding.] 1. To sprinkle with seed; to plant seeds in; to sow; as, to seed a field.

2. To cover thinly with something scattered; to ornament with seedlike decorations.

A sable mantle seeded with waking eyes.

B. Jonson.

To seed down, to sow with grass seed.

Seed"box` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A capsule. (b) A plant (Ludwigia alternifolia) which has somewhat cubical or box-shaped capsules.

Seed"cake` (?), n. A sweet cake or cooky containing aromatic seeds, as caraway. Tusser.

Seed"cod` (?), n. A seedlip. [Prov. Eng.]

Seed"er (?), n. One who, or that which, sows or plants seed.

Seed`i*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being seedy, shabby, or worn out; a state of wretchedness or exhaustion. [Colloq.] G. Eliot.

What is called seediness, after a debauch, is a plain proof that nature has been outraged.

J. S. Blackie.

Seed"-lac` (?), n. A species of lac. See the Note under Lac.

Seed"less, a. Without seed or seeds.

Seed"ling (?), n. (Bot.) A plant reared from the seed, as distinguished from one propagated by layers, buds, or the like.

{ Seed"lip` (?), Seed"lop` (?), } n. [AS. sdleáp; sd seed + leáp basket.] A vessel in which a sower carries the seed to be scattered. [Prov. Eng.]

Seed"man (?), See Seedsman.

Seed"ness, n. Seedtime. [Obs.] Shak.

Seeds"man (?), n.; pl. Seedsmen (-men). 1. A sower; one who sows or scatters seed.

The seedsman Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain.

Shak.

2. A person who deals in seeds.

Seed"time` (?), n. [AS. sdtma.] The season proper for sowing.

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.

Gen. viii. 22.

Seed"y (?), a. [Compar. Seedier (?); superl. Seediest.] 1. Abounding with seeds; bearing seeds; having run to seeds.

2. Having a peculiar flavor supposed to be derived from the weeds growing among the vines; -- said of certain kinds of French brandy.

3. Old and worn out; exhausted; spiritless; also, poor and miserable looking; shabbily clothed; shabby looking; as, he looked seedy; a seedy coat. [Colloq.]

Little Flanigan here . . . is a little seedy, as we say among us that practice the law.

Goldsmith.

Seedy toe, an affection of a horse's foot, in which a cavity filled with horn powder is formed between the laminæ and the wall of the hoof.

See"ing (?), conj. (but originally a present participle). In view of the fact (that); considering; taking into account (that); insmuch as; since; because; - - followed by a dependent clause; as, he did well, seeing that he was so young.

Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me?

Gen. xxvi. 27.

Seek (?), a. Sick. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Seek, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sought (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seeking.] [OE. seken, AS. scan, scean; akin to OS. skian, LG. söken, D. zoeken, OHG. suohhan, G. suchen, Icel. sækja, Sw. söka, Dan. söge, Goth. skjan, and E. sake. Cf. Beseech, Ransack, Sagacious, Sake, Soc.] 1. To go in search of; to look for; to search for; to try to find.

The man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren.

Gen. xxxvii. 15, 16.

2. To inquire for; to ask for; to solicit; to beseech.

Others, tempting him, sought of him a sign.

Luke xi. 16.

3. To try to acquire or gain; to strive after; to aim at; as, to seek wealth or fame; to seek one's life.

4. To try to reach or come to; to go to; to resort to.

Seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal.

Amos v. 5.

Since great Ulysses sought the Phrygian plains.

Pope.

Seek (?), v. i. To make search or inquiry; to endeavor to make discovery.

Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.

Isa. xxxiv. 16.

To seek, needing to seek or search; hence, unprepared. "Unpracticed, unprepared, and still to seek." Milton. [Obs.] -- To seek after, to make pursuit of; to attempt to find or take. -- To seek for, to endeavor to find. -- To seek to, to apply to; to resort to; to court. [Obs.] "All the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom." 1 Kings x. 24. -- To seek upon, to make strict inquiry after; to follow up; to persecute. [Obs.]

To seek Upon a man and do his soul unrest.

Chaucer.

Seek"er (?), n. 1. One who seeks; that which is used in seeking or searching.

2. (Eccl.) One of a small heterogeneous sect of the 17th century, in Great Britain, who professed to be seeking the true church, ministry, and sacraments.

A skeptic [is] ever seeking and never finds, like our new upstart sect of Seekers.

Bullokar.

Seek"-no-fur`ther (?), n. A kind of choice winter apple, having a subacid taste; -- formerly called go- no-further.

Seek"-sor`row (?), n. One who contrives to give himself vexation. [Archaic.] Sir P. Sidney.

Seel (sl), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seeled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seeling.] [F. siller, ciller, fr. cil an eyelash, L. cilium.] 1. (Falconry) To close the eyes of (a hawk or other bird) by drawing through the lids threads which were fastened over the head. Bacon.

Fools climb to fall: fond hopes, like seeled doves for want of better light, mount till they end their flight with falling.

J. Reading.

2. Hence, to shut or close, as the eyes; to blind.

Come, seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day.

Shak.

Cold death, with a violent fate, his sable eyes did seel.

Chapman.

Seel, v. i. [Cf. LG. sielen to lead off water, F. siller to run ahead, to make headway, E. sile, v.t.] To incline to one side; to lean; to roll, as a ship at sea. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.

{ Seel (?), Seel"ing, } n. The rolling or agitation of a ship in a storm. [Obs.] Sandys.

Seel, n. [AS. sl, from sl good, prosperous. See Silly.] 1. Good fortune; favorable opportunity; prosperity. [Obs.] "So have I seel". Chaucer.

2. Time; season; as, hay seel. [Prov. Eng.]

Seel"i*ly (?), adv. In a silly manner. [Obs.]

Seel"y (?), a. See Silly. [Obs.] Spenser.

Seem (sm), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Seemed (smd); p. pr. & vb. n. Seeming.] [OE. semen to seem, to become, befit, AS. sman to satisfy, pacify; akin to Icel. sæma to honor, to bear with, conform to, sæmr becoming, fit, sma to beseem, to befit, sama to beseem, semja to arrange, settle, put right, Goth. samjan to please, and to E. same. The sense is probably due to the adj. seemly. √191. See Same, a., and cf. Seemly.] To appear, or to appear to be; to have a show or semblance; to present an appearance; to look; to strike one's apprehension or fancy as being; to be taken as. "It now seemed probable." Macaulay.

Thou picture of what thou seem'st.

Shak.

All seemed well pleased; all seemed, but were not all.

Milton.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Prov. xiv. 12.

It seems, it appears; it is understood as true; it is said.

A prince of Italy, it seems, entertained his mistress on a great lake.

Addison.

Syn. -- To appear; look. -- Seem, Appear. To appear has reference to a thing's being presented to our view; as, the sun appears; to seem is connected with the idea of semblance, and usually implies an inference of our mind as to the probability of a thing's being so; as, a storm seems to be coming. "The story appears to be true," means that the facts, as presented, go to show its truth; "the story seems to be true," means that it has the semblance of being so, and we infer that it is true. "His first and principal care being to appear unto his people such as he would have them be, and to be such as he appeared." Sir P. Sidney.

Ham. Ay, madam, it is common. Queen. If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee? Ham. Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not "seems."

Shak.

Seem, v. t. To befit; to beseem. [Obs.] Spenser.

Seem"er (?), n. One who seems; one who carries or assumes an appearance or semblance.

Hence shall we see, If power change purpose, what our seemers be.

Shak.

Seem"ing, a. Having a semblance, whether with or without reality; apparent; specious; befitting; as, seeming friendship; seeming truth.

My lord, you have lost a friend indeed; And I dare swear you borrow not that face Of seeming sorrow, it is sure your own.

Shak.

Seem"ing, n. 1. Appearance; show; semblance; fair appearance; speciousness.

These keep Seeming and savor all the winter long.

Shak.

2. Apprehension; judgment. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Nothing more clear unto their seeming.

Hooker.

His persuasive words, impregned With reason, to her seeming.

Milton.

Seem"ing*ly, adv. In appearance; in show; in semblance; apparently; ostensibly.

This the father seemingly complied with.

Addison.

Seem"ing*ness, n. Semblance; fair appearance; plausibility. Sir K. Digby.

Seem"less, a. Unseemly. [Obs.] Spenser.

Seem"li*ly (?), adv. In a seemly manner. [Obs.]

Seem"li*ness, n. The quality or state of being seemly: comeliness; propriety.

<! p. 1304 !>

Seem"ly (?), a. [Compar.Seemlier (&?;); superl. Seeliest.] [Icel. s&?;miligr, fr. s&?;mr becoming, fit; akin to samr same, E. same; the sense being properly, the same or like, hence, fitting. See Seem, v. i.] Suited to the object, occasion, purpose, or character; suitable; fit; becoming; comely; decorous.

He had a seemly nose.

Chaucer.

I am a woman, lacking wit To make a seemly answer to such persons.

Shak.

Suspense of judgment and exercise of charity were safer and seemlier for Christian men than the hot pursuit of these controversies.

Hooker.

Syn. -- Becoming; fit; suitable; proper; appropriate; congruous; meet; decent; decorous.

Seem"ly (?), adv. [Compar. Seemlier; superl. Seemliest.] In a decent or suitable manner; becomingly.

Suddenly a men before him stood, Not rustic as before, but seemlier clad, As one in city or court or place bred.

Milton.

Seem"ly*hed (?), n. [See -hood.] Comely or decent appearance. [Obs.] Rom. of R. Spenser.

Seen (?), p. p. of See.

Seen, a. Versed; skilled; accomplished. [Obs.]

Well seen in every science that mote be.

Spenser.

Noble Boyle, not less in nature seen, Than his great brother read in states and men.

Dryden.

{ Seep (?), or Sipe (?) }, v. i. [AS. span to distill.] To run or soak through fine pores and interstices; to ooze. [Scot. & U. S.]

Water seeps up through the sidewalks.

G. W. Cable.

{ Seep"age (?), or Sip"age }, n. Water that seeped or oozed through a porous soil. [Scot. & U. S.]

{ Seep"y (?), or Sip"y }, a. Oozy; -- applied to land under cultivation that is not well drained.

Seer (sr), a. Sore; painful. [Prov. Eng.] Ray.

Se"er (s"r), n. One who sees. Addison.

Seer (sr), n. [From See.] A person who foresees events; a prophet. Milton.

Seer"ess, n. A female seer; a prophetess.

Seer"fish` (-fsh), n. (Zoöl.) A scombroid food fish of Madeira (Cybium Commersonii).

Seer"hand (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A kind of muslin of a texture between nainsook and mull.

Seer"ship, n. The office or quality of a seer.

Seer"suck`er (?), n. A light fabric, originally made in the East Indies, of silk and linen, usually having alternating stripes, and a slightly craped or puckered surface; also, a cotton fabric of similar appearance.

Seer"wood` (?), n. [See Sear.] Dry wood. [Written also searwood.] [Obs.] Dryden.

See"saw` (?), n. [Probably a reduplication of saw, to express the alternate motion to and fro, as in the act of sawing.] 1. A play among children in which they are seated upon the opposite ends of a plank which is balanced in the middle, and move alternately up and down.

2. A plank or board adjusted for this play.

3. A vibratory or reciprocating motion.

He has been arguing in a circle; there is thus a seesaw between the hypothesis and fact.

Sir W. Hamilton.

4. (Whist.) Same as Crossruff.

See"saw`, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Seesawad (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seesawing.] To move with a reciprocating motion; to move backward and forward, or upward and downward.

See"saw`, v. t. To cause to move backward and forward in seesaw fashion.

He seesaws himself to and fro.

Ld. Lytton.

See"saw`, a. Moving up and down, or to and fro; having a reciprocating motion.

Seet (?), obs. imp. of Sit. Sate; sat. Chaucer.

Seeth (?), obs. imp. of Seethe. Chaucer.

Seethe (?), v. t. [imp. Seethed (?) (Sod (&?;), obs.); p. p. Seethed, Sodden (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Seething.] [OE. sethen, AS. seó&?;an; akin to D. sieden, OHG. siodan, G. sieden, Icel. sj&?;&?;a, Sw. sjuda, Dan. syde, Goth. saubs a burnt offering. Cf. Sod, n., Sodden, Suds.] To decoct or prepare for food in hot liquid; to boil; as, to seethe flesh. [Written also seeth.]

Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

2 Kings iv. 38.

Seethe, v. i. To be a state of ebullition or violent commotion; to be hot; to boil. 1 Sam. ii. 13.

A long Pointe, round which the Mississippi used to whirl, and seethe, and foam.

G. W. Cable.

Seeth"er (?), n. A pot for boiling things; a boiler.

Like burnished gold the little seether shone.

Dryden.

Seg (?), n. [See Sedge.] (Bot.) 1. Sedge. [Obs.]

2. The gladen, and other species of Iris. Prior.

Seg, n. [Probably from the root of L. secare to cut.] A castrated bull. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell.

Se*gar" (?), n. See Cigar.

Seg"gar (?), n. [Prov. E. saggard a seggar, seggard a sort of riding surtout, contr. fr. safeguard.] A case or holder made of fire clay, in which fine pottery is inclosed while baking in the kin. [Written also saggar, sagger, and segger.] Ure.

Segge (?), n. (Zoöl.) The hedge sparrow. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Seg"ment (?), n. [L. segmentum, fr. secare to cut, cut off: cf. F. segment. See Saw a cutting instrument.] 1. One of the parts into which any body naturally separates or is divided; a part divided or cut off; a section; a portion; as, a segment of an orange; a segment of a compound or divided leaf.

2. (Geom.) A part cut off from a figure by a line or plane; especially, that part of a circle contained between a chord and an arc of that circle, or so much of the circle as is cut off by the chord; as, the segment acb in the Illustration.

3. (Mach.) (a) A piece in the form of the sector of a circle, or part of a ring; as, the segment of a sectional fly wheel or flywheel rim. (b) A segment gear.

4. (Biol.) (a) One of the cells or division formed by segmentation, as in egg cleavage or in fissiparous cell formation. (b) One of the divisions, rings, or joints into which many animal bodies are divided; a somite; a metamere; a somatome.

Segment gear, a piece for receiving or communicating reciprocating motion from or to a cogwheel, consisting of a sector of a circular gear, or ring, having cogs on the periphery, or face. -- Segment of a line, the part of a line contained between two points on it. -- Segment of a sphere, the part of a sphere cut off by a plane, or included between two parallel planes. -- Ventral segment. (Acoustics) See Loor, n., 5.

Seg"ment (?), v. i. (Biol.) To divide or separate into parts in growth; to undergo segmentation, or cleavage, as in the segmentation of the ovum.

Seg*men"tal (?), a. 1. Relating to, or being, a segment.

2. (Anat. & Zoöl.) (a) Of or pertaining to the segments of animals; as, a segmental duct; segmental papillæ. (b) Of or pertaining to the segmental organs.

Segmental duct (Anat.), the primitive duct of the embryonic excretory organs which gives rise to the Wolffian duct and ureter; the pronephric duct. -- Segmental organs. (a) (Anat.) The embryonic excretory organs of vertebrates, consisting primarily of the segmental tubes and segmental ducts. (b) (Zoöl.) The tubular excretory organs, a pair of which often occur in each of several segments in annelids. They serve as renal organs, and often, also, as oviducts and sperm ducts. See Illust. under Sipunculacea. -- Segmental tubes (Anat.), the tubes which primarily open into the segmental duct, some of which become the urinary tubules of the adult.

Seg`men*ta"tion (?), n. The act or process of dividing into segments; specifically (Biol.), a self-division into segments as a result of growth; cell cleavage; cell multiplication; endogenous cell formation.

Segmentation cavity (Biol.), the cavity formed by the arrangement of the cells in segmentation or cleavage of the ovum; the cavity of the blastosphere. In the gastrula stage, the segmentation cavity in which the mesoblast is formed lies between the entoblast and ectoblast. See Illust. of Invagination. -- Segmentation nucleus (Biol.), the body formed by fusion of the male and female pronucleus in an impregnated ovum. See the Note under Pronucleus. -- Segmentation of the ovum, or Egg cleavage (Biol.), the process by which the embryos of all the higher plants and animals are derived from the germ cell. In the simplest case, that of small ova destitute of food yolk, the ovum or egg divides into two similar halves or segments (blastomeres), each of these again divides into two, and so on, thus giving rise to a mass of cells (mulberry mass, or morula), all equal and similar, from the growth and development of which the future animal is to be formed. This constitutes regular segmentation. Quite frequently, however, the equality and regularity of cleavage is interfered with by the presence of food yolk, from which results unequal segmentation. See Holoblastic, Meroblastic, Alecithal, Centrolecithal, Ectolecithal, and Ovum. -- Segmentation sphere (Biol.), the blastosphere, or morula. See Morula.

Seg"ment*ed (?), a. Divided into segments or joints; articulated.

{ Seg"ni*tude (?), Seg"ni*ty (?) }, n. [L. segnitas, fr. segnis slow, sluggish.] Sluggishness; dullness; inactivity. [Obs.]

||Se"gno (?), n. [It. See Sign.] (Mus.) A sign. See Al segno, and Dal ||segno.

Se"go (?), n. (Bot.) A liliaceous plant (Calochortus Nuttallii) of Western North America, and its edible bulb; -- so called by the Ute Indians and the Mormons.

Seg"re*gate (?), a. [L. segregatus, p. p. of segregare to separate; pref. se- aside + grex, gregis, a flock or herd. See Gregarious.] 1. Separate; select.

2. (Bot.) Separated from others of the same kind.

Seg"re*gate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Segregated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Segregating.] To separate from others; to set apart.

They are still segregated, Christians from Christians, under odious designations.

I. Taylor.

Seg"re*gate, v. i. (Geol.) To separate from a mass, and collect together about centers or along lines of fracture, as in the process of crystallization or solidification.

Seg`re*ga"tion (?), n. [L. segregatio: cf. F. ségrégation.] 1. The act of segregating, or the state of being segregated; separation from others; a parting.

2. (Geol.) Separation from a mass, and gathering about centers or into cavities at hand through cohesive attraction or the crystallizing process.

||Seiches (?), n. pl. [F.] (Geol.) Local oscillations in level observed ||in the case of some lakes, as Lake Geneva.

Seid (?), n. [Ar seyid prince.] A descendant of Mohammed through his daughter Fatima and nephew Ali.

Seid"litz (?), a. Of or pertaining to Seidlitz, a village in Bohemia. [Written also Sedlitz.]

Seidlitz powders, effervescing salts, consisting of two separate powders, one of which contains forty grains of sodium bicarbonate mixed with two drachms of Rochell&?; salt (tartrate of potassium and sodium) and the other contains thirty-five grains of tartaric acid. The powders are mixed in water, and drunk while effervescing, as a mild cathartic; -- so called from the resemblance to the natural water of Seidlitz. Called also Rochelle powders. -- Seidlitz water, a natural water from Seidlitz, containing magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium sulphates, with calcium carbonate and a little magnesium chloride. It is used as an aperient.

Seigh (?), obs. imp. sing. of See. Saw. Chaucer.

Seign*eu"ri*al (?), a. [F., fr. seigneur. See Seignior.] 1. Of or pertaining to the lord of a manor; manorial. Sir W. Temple.

2. Vested with large powers; independent.

Seign"ior (?), n. [OF. seignor, F. seigneur, cf. It. signore, Sp. señor from an objective case of L. senier elder. See Senior.] 1. A lord; the lord of a manor.

2. A title of honor or of address in the South of Europe, corresponding to Sir or Mr. in English.

Grand Seignior, the sultan of Turkey.

Seign"ior*age (?), n. [F. seigneuriage, OF. seignorage.] 1. Something claimed or taken by virtue of sovereign prerogative; specifically, a charge or toll deducted from bullion brought to a mint to be coined; the difference between the cost of a mass of bullion and the value as money of the pieces coined from it.

If government, however, throws the expense of coinage, as is reasonable, upon the holders, by making a charge to cover the expense (which is done by giving back rather less in coin than has been received in bullion, and is called "levying a seigniorage"), the coin will rise to the extent of the seigniorage above the value of the bullion.

J. S. Mill.

2. A share of the receipts of a business taken in payment for the use of a right, as a copyright or a patent.

Seign"ior*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a seignior; seigneurial. "Kingly or seignioral patronage." Burke.

Seign"ior*al*ty (?), n. The territory or authority of a seignior, or lord. Milman.

Seign*io"ri*al (?), a. Same as Seigneurial.

Seign"ior*ize (?), v. t. To lord it over. [Obs.]

As proud as he that seigniorizeth hell.

Fairfax.

Seign"ior*y (?), n.; pl. -ies (#). [OE. seignorie, OF. seigneurie, F. seigneurie; cf. It. signoria.] 1. The power or authority of a lord; dominion.

O'Neal never had any seigniory over that country but what by encroachment he got upon the English.

Spenser.

2. The territory over which a lord holds jurisdiction; a manor. [Written also seigneury, and seignory.]

Seine (?), n. [F. seine, or AS. segene, b&?;th fr. L. sagena, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;.] (Fishing.) A large net, one edge of which is provided with sinkers, and the other with floats. It hangs vertically in the water, and when its ends are brought together or drawn ashore incloses the fish.

Seine boat, a boat specially constructed to carry and pay out a seine.

Sein"er (?), n. One who fishes with a seine.

Sein"ing, n. Fishing with a seine.

Seint (?), n. [See Cincture.] A girdle. [Obs.] "Girt with a seint of silk." Chaucer.

Seint, n. A saint. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sein"tu*a*ry (?), n. Sanctuary. [Obs.]

Seir"fish` (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Seerfish.

Sei"ro*spore (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; a cord + E. spore.] (Bot.) One of several spores arranged in a chain as in certain algæ of the genus Callithamnion.

Seise (?), v. t. See Seize. Spenser.

This is the common spelling in the law phrase to be seised of (an estate).

Sei"sin (?), n. See Seizin. Spenser.

{ Seis"mic (?), Seis"mal (?), } a. [Gr. seismo`s an earthquake, from sei`ein to shake.] Of or pertaining to an earthquake; caused by an earthquake.

Seismic vertical, the point upon the earth's surface vertically over the center of effort or focal point whence the earthquake's impulse proceeds, or the vertical line connecting these two points.

Seis"mo*graph (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; an earthquake + -graph.] (Physics) An apparatus for registering the shocks and undulatory motions of earthquakes.

Seis`mo*graph"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a seismograph; indicated by a seismograph.

Seis*mog"ra*phy (?), n. 1. A writing about, or a description of, earthquakes.

2. The art of registering the shocks and undulatory movements of earthquakes.

Seis`mo*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to seismology. -- Seis`mo*log"ic*al*ly, adv.

Seis*mol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; an earthquake + -logy.] The science of earthquakes.

Seis*mom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; an earthquake + -meter.] (Physics) An instrument for measuring the direction, duration, and force of earthquakes and like concussions.

Seis`mo*met"ric (?), a. Of or pertaining to seismometry, or seismometer; as, seismometric instruments; seismometric measurements.

Seis*mom"e*try (?), n. The mensuration of such phenomena of earthquakes as can be expressed in numbers, or by their relation to the coördinates of space.

Seis"mo*scope (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; an earthquake + -scope.] (Physics) A seismometer.

Se"i*ty (?), n. [L. se one's self.] Something peculiar to one's self. [R.] Tatler.

Seiz"a*ble (?), a. That may be seized.

Seize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seizing.] [OE. seisen, saisen, OF. seisir, saisir, F. saisir, of Teutonic origin, and akin to E. set. The meaning is properly, to set, put, place, hence, to put in possession of. See Set, v. t.] 1. To fall or rush upon suddenly and lay hold of; to gripe or grasp suddenly; to reach and grasp.

For by no means the high bank he could seize.

Spenser.

Seek you to seize and gripe into your hands The royalties and rights of banished Hereford?

Shak.

<! p. 1305 !>

2. To take possession of by force.

At last they seize The scepter, and regard not David's sons.

Milton.

3. To invade suddenly; to take sudden hold of; to come upon suddenly; as, a fever seizes a patient.

Hope and deubt alternate seize her seul.

Pope.

4. (law) To take possession of by virtue of a warrant or other legal authority; as, the sheriff seized the debtor's goods.

5. To fasten; to fix. [Obs.]

As when a bear hath seized her cruel claws Upon the carcass of some beast too weak.

Spenser.

6. To grap with the mind; to comprehend fully and distinctly; as, to seize an idea.

7. (Naut.) To bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff, as yarn or marline; as, to seize ropes.

This word, by writers on law, is commonly written seise, in the phrase to be seised of (an estate), as also, in composition, disseise, disseisin.

To be seized of, to have possession, or right of possession; as, A B was seized and possessed of the manor of Dale. "Whom age might see seized of what youth made prize." Chapman. -- To seize on or upon, to fall on and grasp; to take hold on; to take possession of suddenly and forcibly.

Syn. -- To catch; grasp; clutch; snatch; apprehend; arrest; take; capture.

Seiz"er (?), n. One who, or that which, seizes.

Sei"zin (?), n. [F. saisine. See Seize.] 1. (Law) Possession; possession of an estate of froehold. It may be either in deed or in law; the former when there is actual possession, the latter when there is a right to such possession by construction of law. In some of the United States seizin means merely ownership. Burrill.

2. The act of taking possession. [Obs.]

3. The thing possessed; property. Sir M. Halle.

Commonly spelt by writers on law seisin.

Livery of seizin. (Eng. Law) See Note under Livery, 1.

Seiz"ing (?), n. 1. The act of taking or grasping suddenly.

2. (Naut.) (a) The operation of fastening together or lashing. (b) The cord or lashing used for such fastening.

Sei"zor (?), n. (Law) One who seizes, or takes possession.

Sei"zure (?), n. 1. The act of seizing, or the state of being seized; sudden and violent grasp or gripe; a taking into possession; as, the seizure of a thief, a property, a throne, etc.

2. Retention within one's grasp or power; hold; possession; ownership.

Make o'er thy honor by a deed of trust, And give me seizure of the mighty wealth.

Dryden.

3. That which is seized, or taken possession of; a thing laid hold of, or possessed.

{ Se"jant, Se"jeant } (?), a. [F. séant, p. pr. of seoir to sit, L. sedere.] (Her.) Sitting, as a lion or other beast.

Sejant rampant, sitting with the forefeet lifted up. Wright.

Se*jein" (?), v. t. [L. sejungere; pref. se- aside + jungere to join. See Join.] To separate. [Obs.]

Se*junc"tion (?), n. [L. sejunctio. See Sejoin.] The act of disjoining, or the state of being disjoined. [Obs.] Bp. Pearson.

Se*jun"gi*ble (?), a. [See Sejoin.] Capable of being disjoined. [Obs.] Bp. Pearson.

Seke (?), a. Sick. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Seke (?), v. t. & i. To seek. [Obs.] Chaucer.

||Se"kes (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?; a pen, a sacred inclosure, a ||shrine.] (Arch.) A place in a pagan temple in which the images of the ||deities were inclosed.

Se*la"chi*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Selachii. See Illustration in Appendix.

||Se*la"chi*i (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?; a fish having ||cartilages instead of bones.] (Zoöl.) An order of elasmobranchs ||including the sharks and rays; the Plagiostomi. Called also Selacha, ||Selache, and Selachoidei.

||Sel`a*choi"de*i (?), n. pl. [NL. See Selachii, and -oid.] (Zoöl.) ||Same as Selachii.

||Sel`a*chos"to*mi (?), n. pl. [NL. See Selachii, and Stoma.] (Zoöl.) A ||division of ganoid fishes which includes the paddlefish, in which the ||mouth is armed with small teeth.

||Sel`a*gi*nel"la (?), n. [NL., fr. L. selago, -inis, a kind of plant.] ||(Bot.) A genus of cryptogamous plants resembling Lycopodia, but ||producing two kinds of spores; also, any plant of this genus. Many ||species are cultivated in conservatories.

Se"lah (?), n. [Heb. selh.] (Script.) A word of doubtful meaning, occuring frequently in the Psalms; by some, supposed to signify silence or a pause in the musical performance of the song.

Beyond the fact that Selah is a musical term, we know absolutely nothing about it.

Dr. W. Smith (Bib. Dict.)

Sel"couth (sl"kth), a. [AS. selcð, seldcð; seld rare + cð known. See Uncouth.] Rarely known; unusual; strange. [Obs.]

[She] wondered much at his so selcouth case.

Spenser.

Seld (sld), a. [See Seldom.] Rare; uncommon; unusual. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

Seld, adv. Rarely; seldom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sel"den (-sen), adv. Seldom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sel"dom (-dm), adv. [Usually, Compar. More seldom (mr"); superl. Most seldom (mst"); but sometimes also, Seldomer (-r), Seldomest.] [AS. seldan, seldon, seldum, fr. seld rare; akin to OFries. sielden, D. zelden, G. selten, OHG. seltan, Icel. sjaldan, Dan. sielden, Sw. sällan, Goth. sildaleiks marvelous.] Rarely; not often; not frequently.

Wisdom and youth are seldom joined in one.

Hooker.

Sel"dom (?), a. Rare; infrequent. [Archaic.] "A suppressed and seldom anger." Jer. Taylor.

Sel"dom*ness, n. Rareness. Hooker.

Seld"seen` (?), a. [AS. seldsiene.] Seldom seen. [Obs.] Drayton.

Seld"shewn` (?), a. [Seld + shown.] Rarely shown or exhibited. [Obs.] Shak.

Se*lect" (?), a. [L. selectus, p. p. of seligere to select; pref. se- aside + levere to gather. See Legend.] Taken from a number by preferance; picked out as more valuable or exellent than others; of special value or exellence; nicely chosen; selected; choice.

A few select spirits had separated from the crowd, and formed a fit audience round a far greater teacher.

Macaulay.

Se*lect", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Selected; p. pr. & vb. n. Selecting.] To choose and take from a number; to take by preference from among others; to pick out; to cull; as, to select the best authors for perusal. "One peculiar nation to select." Milton.

The pious chief . . . A hundred youths from all his train selects.

Dryden.

Se*lect"ed*ly, adv. With care and selection. [R.]

Se*lec"tion (?), n. [L. selectio: cf. F. sélection.] . The act of selecting, or the state of being selected; choice, by preference.

2. That which is selected; a collection of things chosen; as, a choice selection of books.

Natural selection. (Biol.) See under Natural.

Se*lect"ive (?), a. Selecting; tending to select.

This selective providence of the Almighty.

Bp. Hall.

Se*lect"man (?), n.; pl. Selectmen (&?;). One of a board of town officers chosen annually in the New England States to transact the general public business of the town, and have a kind of executive authority. The number is usually from three to seven in each town.

The system of delegated town action was then, perhaps, the same which was defined in an "order made in 1635 by the inhabitants of Charlestown at a full meeting for the government of the town, by selectmen;" the name presently extended throughout New England to municipal governors.

Palfrey.

Se*lect"ness, n. The quality or state of being select.

Se*lect"or (?), n. [L.] One who selects.

Sel"e*nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of selenic acid; -- formerly called also seleniate.

Sel`en*hy"dric (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, hydrogen selenide, H2Se, regarded as an acid analogous to sulphydric acid.

Se*len"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. sélénique.] (Chem.) Of or pertaining to selenium; derived from, or containing, selenium; specifically, designating those compounds in which the element has a higher valence as contrasted with selenious compounds.

Sel"e*nide (?), n. (Chem.) A binary compound of selenium, or a compound regarded as binary; as, ethyl selenide.

Sel`e*nif"er*ous (?), a. [Selenium + -ferous. ] Containing, or impregnated with, selenium; as, seleniferous pyrites.

Se*le"ni*o- (&?;). (Chem.) A combining form (also used adjectively) denoting the presence of selenium or its compounds; as, selenio-phosphate, a phosphate having selenium in place of all, or a part, of the oxygen.

Se*le"ni*ous (?), a. [Cf. F. sélénieux.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, selenium; specifically, designating those compounds in which the element has a lower valence as contrasted with selenic compounds.

Sel"e*nite (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of selenious acid.

Sel"e*nite, n. [L. selenites, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; (sc. &?;&?;&?;), from selh`nh the moon. So called from a fancied resemblance in luster or appearance to the moon.] (Min.) A variety of gypsum, occuring in transparent crystals or crystalline masses.

{ Sel`e*nit"ic (?), Sel`e*nit"ic*al (?), } a. (Min.) Of or pertaining to selenite; resembling or containing selenite.

Se*le"ni*um (?), n. [NL., from Gr. selh`nh the moon. So called because of its chemical analogy to tellurium (from L. tellus the earth), being, as it were, a companion to it.] (Chem.) A nonmetallic element of the sulphur group, and analogous to sulphur in its compounds. It is found in small quantities with sulphur and some sulphur ores, and obtained in the free state as a dark reddish powder or crystalline mass, or as a dark metallic-looking substance. It exhibits under the action of light a remarkable variation in electric conductivity, and is used in certain electric apparatus. Symbol Se. Atomic weight 78.9.

Sel`e*ni"u*ret (?), n. (Chem.) A selenide. [Obs.]

Sel`e*ni"u*ret`ed (?), a. (Chem.) Combined with selenium as in a selenide; as, seleniureted hydrogen. [Written also seleniuretted.] [Obsoles.]

Se*le`no*cen"tric (?), a. [Gr. selh`nh the moon + E. centric.] (Astron.) As seen or estimated from the center of the moon; with the moon central.

Se*le"no*graph (?), n. A picture or delineation of the moon's surface, or of any part of it.

Sel`e*nog"ra*pher (?), n. One skilled in selenography. Wright.

{ Sel`e*no*graph"ic (?), Sel`e*no*graph"i*cal (?), } a. [Cf. F. sélénographique.] Of or pertaining to selenography.

Sel`e*nog"ra*phist (?), n. A selenographer.

Sel`e*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; the moon + -graphy.] The science that treats of the physical features of the moon; -- corresponding to physical geography in respect to the earth. "Accurate selenography, or description of the moon." Sir T. Browne.

Sel`e*nol"o*gy, n. [Gr. selh`nh the moon + -logy.] That branch of astronomy which treats of the moon. -- Sel`e*no*log"i*cal (#), a.

Sel`e*no"ni*um (?), n. [Selenium + sulphonium.] (Chem.) A hypothetical radical of selenium, analogous to sulphonium. [R.]

Self (slf), a. [AS. self, seolf, sylf; akin to OS. self, OFries. self, D. zelf, G. selb, selber, selbst, Dan. selv. Sw. sjelf, Icel. sjlfr, Goth. silba. Cf. Selvage.] Same; particular; very; identical. [Obs., except in the compound selfsame.] "On these self hills." Sir. W. Raleigh.

To shoot another arrow that self way Which you did shoot the first.

Shak.

At that self moment enters Palamon.

Dryden.

Self, n.; pl. Selves (&?;). 1. The individual as the object of his own reflective consciousness; the man viewed by his own cognition as the subject of all his mental phenomena, the agent in his own activities, the subject of his own feelings, and the possessor of capacities and character; a person as a distinct individual; a being regarded as having personality. "Those who liked their real selves." Addison.

A man's self may be the worst fellow to converse with in the world.

Pope.

The self, the I, is recognized in every act of intelligence as the subject to which that act belongs. It is I that perceive, I that imagine, I that remember, I that attend, I that compare, I that feel, I that will, I that am conscious.

Sir W. Hamilton.

2. Hence, personal interest, or love of private interest; selfishness; as, self is his whole aim.

3. Personification; embodiment. [Poetic.]

She was beauty's self.

Thomson.

Self is united to certain personal pronouns and pronominal adjectives to express emphasis or distinction. Thus, for emphasis; I myself will write; I will examine for myself; thou thyself shalt go; thou shalt see for thyself; you yourself shall write; you shall see for yourself; he himself shall write; he shall examine for himself; she herself shall write; she shall examine for herself; the child itself shall be carried; it shall be present itself. It is also used reflexively; as, I abhor myself; thou enrichest thyself; he loves himself; she admires herself; it pleases itself; we walue ourselves; ye hurry yourselves; they see themselves. Himself, herself, themselves, are used in the nominative case, as well as in the objective. "Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples." John iv. 2.

self is used in the formation of innumerable compounds, usually of obvious signification, in most of which it denotes either the agent or the object of the action expressed by the word with which it is joined, or the person in behalf of whom it is performed, or the person or thing to, for, or towards whom or which a quality, attribute, or feeling expressed by the following word belongs, is directed, or is exerted, or from which it proceeds; or it denotes the subject of, or object affected by, such action, quality, attribute, feeling, or the like; as, self-abandoning, self-abnegation, self-abhorring, self-absorbed, self-accusing, self-adjusting, self-balanced, self-boasting, self-canceled, self-combating, self-commendation, self-condemned, self-conflict, self-conquest, self-constituted, self-consumed, self-contempt, self-controlled, self-deceiving, self-denying, self-destroyed, self-disclosure, self-display, self-dominion, self-doomed, self-elected, self-evolved, self-exalting, self-excusing, self-exile, self-fed, self- fulfillment, self-governed, self-harming, self- helpless, self-humiliation, self-idolized, self- inflicted, self-improvement, self-instruction, self-invited, self-judging, self-justification, self-loathing, self-loving, self-maintenance, self-mastered, self-nourishment, self-perfect, self-perpetuation, self-pleasing, self-praising, self-preserving, self-questioned, self-relying, self-restraining, self-revelation, self-ruined, self-satisfaction, self-support, self-sustained, self-sustaining, self-tormenting, self-troubling, self-trust, self-tuition, self-upbraiding, self-valuing, self-worshiping, and many others.

Self`-a*based" (?), a. Humbled by consciousness of inferiority, unworthiness, guilt, or shame.

Self`-a*base"ment (?), n. 1. Degradation of one's self by one's own act.

2. Humiliation or abasement proceeding from consciousness of inferiority, guilt, or shame.

Self`-a*bas"ing, a. Lowering or humbling one's self.

Self`-ab*hor"rence (?), n. Abhorrence of one's self.

Self`-ab`ne*ga"tion (?), n. Self- denial; self-renunciation; self-sacrifice.

Self`-abuse" (?), n. 1. The abuse of one's own self, powers, or faculties.

2. Self-deception; delusion. [Obs.] Shak.

3. Masturbation; onanism; self- pollution.

Self"-ac*cused" (?), a. Accused by one's self or by one's conscience. "Die self-accused." Cowper.

Self`-act"ing (?), a. Acting of or by one's self or by itself; -- said especially of a machine or mechanism which is made to perform of or for itself what is usually done by human agency; automatic; as, a self-acting feed apparatus; a self-acting mule; a self-acting press.

Self`-ac"tion (?), n. Action by, or originating in, one's self or itself.

Self`-ac"tive (?), a. Acting of one's self or of itself; acting without depending on other agents.

Self`-ac*tiv"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being self-active; self-action.

Self`-ad*just"ing (?), a. (Mach.) Capable of assuming a desired position or condition with relation to other parts, under varying circumstances, without requiring to be adjusted by hand; -- said of a piece in machinery.

Self-adjusting bearing (Shafting), a bearing which is supported in such a manner that it may tip to accomodate flexure or displacement of the shaft.

Self`-ad`mi*ra"tion (?), n. Admiration of one's self.

Self`-af*fairs" (?), n. pl. One's own affairs; one's private business. [Obs.] Shak.

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Self`-af*fright"ed (?), a. Frightened at or by one's self. Shak.

Self`-ag*gran"dize*ment (?), n. The aggrandizement of one's self.

Self`-an*ni"hi*la`ted (?), a. Annihilated by one's self.

Self`-an*ni`hi*la"tion (?), n. Annihilation by one's own acts; annihilation of one's desires. Addison.

Self`-ap*plause" (?), n. Applause of one's self.

Self`-ap*ply"ing (?), a. Applying to or by one's self.

Self`-ap*prov"ing (?), a. Approving one's own action or character by one's own judgment.

One self-approving hour whole years outweighs Of stupid starers and of loud huzzas.

Pope.

Self`-as*sert"ing (?), a. Asserting one's self, or one's own rights or claims; hence, putting one's self forward in a confident or assuming manner.

Self`-as*ser"tion (?), n. The act of asserting one's self, or one's own rights or claims; the quality of being self-asserting.

Self`-as*sert"ive (?), a. Disposed to self-assertion; self-asserting.

Self`-as*sumed` (?), a. Assumed by one's own act, or without authority.

Self`-as*sured` (?), a. Assured by or of one's self; self-reliant; complacent.

Self`-ban"ished (?), a. Exiled voluntarily.

Self"-be*got"ten (?), a. Begotten by one's self, or one's own powers.

Self"-born` (?), a. Born or produced by one's self.

{ Self`-cen"tered, Self`-cen"tred } (?), a. Centered in itself, or in one's self.

There hangs the ball of earth and water mixt, Self-centered and unmoved.

Dryden.

{ Self`-cen"ter*ing (?), Self`-cen"tring (?) } a. Centering in one's self.

Self`-cen*tra"tion (?), n. The quality or state of being self-centered.

Self`-char"i*ty (?), n. Self- love. [Obs.] Shak.

Self"-col`or (?), n. A color not mixed or variegated.

Self`-col"ored (?), a. Being of a single color; -- applied to flowers, animals, and textile fabrics.

Self`-com*mand" (?), n. Control over one's own feelings, temper, etc.; self-control.

Self`-com*mune" (?), n. Self- communion. [R.]

Self`-com*mu"ni*ca*tive (?), a. Imparting or communicating by its own powers.

Self`-com*mun"ion (?), n. Communion with one's self; thoughts about one's self.

Self`-com*pla"cen*cy (?), n. The quality of being self-complacent. J. Foster.

Self`-com*pla"cent (?), a. Satisfied with one's own character, capacity, and doings; self- satisfied.

Self`-con*ceit" (?), n. Conceit of one's self; an overweening opinion of one's powers or endowments.

Syn. -- See Egotism.

Self`-con*ceit"ed, a. Having an overweening opinion of one's own powers, attainments; vain; conceited. -- Self`-con*ceit"ed*ness, n.

Self`-con*cern" (?), n. Concern for one's self.

Self`-con`dem*na"tion (?), n. Condemnation of one's self by one's own judgment.

Self`-con"fi*dence (?), n. The quality or state of being self-confident; self-reliance.

A feeling of self-confidence which supported and sustained him.

Beaconsfield.

Self`-con"fi*dent (?), a. Confident of one's own strength or powers; relying on one's judgment or ability; self-reliant. -- Self`-con"fi*dent*ly, adv.

Self`-con"ju*gate (?), a. (Geom.) Having the two things that are conjugate parts of the same figure; as, self-conjugate triangles.

Self`-con"scious (?), a. 1. Conscious of one's acts or state as belonging to, or originating in, one's self. "My self-conscious worth." Dryden.

2. Conscious of one's self as an object of the observation of others; as, the speaker was too self- conscious.

Self`-con"scious*ness, n. The quality or state of being self-conscious.

Self`-con*sid"er*ing (?), a. Considering in one's own mind; deliberating. Pope.

Self`-con*sist"en*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being self-consistent.

Self`-con*sist"ent (?), a. Consistent with one's self or with itself; not deviation from the ordinary standard by which the conduct is guided; logically consistent throughout; having each part consistent with the rest.

Self`-con*sum"ing (?), a. Consuming one's self or itself.

Self`-con*tained" (?), a. 1. Having self-control; reserved; uncommunicative; wholly engrossed in one's self.

2. (Mach.) Having all the essential working parts connected by a bedplate or framework, or contained in a case, etc., so that mutual relations of the parts do not depend upon fastening outside of the machine itself.

Self-contained steam engine. (a) A steam engine having both bearings for the crank shaft attached to the frame of the engine. (b) A steam engine and boiler combined and fastened together; a portable steam engine.

Self`-con`tra*dic"tion (?), n. The act of contradicting one's self or itself; repugnancy in conceptions or in terms; a proposition consisting of two members, one of which contradicts the other; as, to be and not to be at the same time is a self-contradiction.

Self`-con`tra*dict"o*ry (?), a. Contradicting one's self or itself.

Self`-con*trol" (?), n. Control of one's self; restraint exercised over one's self; self- command.

Self`-con*vict"ed (?), a. Convicted by one's own consciousness, knowledge, avowal, or acts.

Self`-con*vic"tion (?), n. The act of convicting one's self, or the state of being self- convicted.

Self`-cre*at"ed (?), a. Created by one's self; not formed or constituted by another.

Self`-cul"ture (?), n. Culture, training, or education of one's self by one's own efforts.

Self`-de*ceit" (?), n. The act of deceiving one's self, or the state of being self-deceived; self- deception.

Self`-de*ceived" (?), a. Deceived or misled respecting one's self by one's own mistake or error.

Self`-de*cep"tion (?), n. Self- deceit.

Self`-de*fence" (?), n. See Self-defense.

Self`-de*fense" (?), n. The act of defending one's own person, property, or reputation.

In self-defense (Law), in protection of self, -- it being permitted in law to a party on whom a grave wrong is attempted to resist the wrong, even at the peril of the life of the assailiant. Wharton.

Self`-de*fen"sive (?), a. Defending, or tending to defend, one's own person, property, or reputation.

Self`-deg`ra*da"tion (?), n. The act of degrading one's self, or the state of being so degraded.

Self`-de*la"tion (?), n. Accusation of one's self. [R.] Milman.

Self`-de*lu"sion (?), n. The act of deluding one's self, or the state of being thus deluded.

Self`-de*ni"al (?), n. The denial of one's self; forbearing to gratify one's own desires; self- sacrifice.

Self`-de*ny"ing (?), a. Refusing to gratify one's self; self-sacrificing. -- Self`- de*ny"ing*ly, adv.

Self`-de*pend"ent (?), a. Dependent on one's self; self-depending; self-reliant.

Self`-de*pend"ing, a. Depending on one's self.

Self`-de*praved" (?), a. Corrupted or depraved by one's self. Milton.

Self`-de*stroy"er (?), n. One who destroys himself; a suicide.

Self`-de*struc"tion (?), n. The destruction of one's self; self-murder; suicide. Milton.

Self`-de*struc"tive (?), a. Destroying, or tending to destroy, one's self or itself; rucidal.

Self`-de*ter`mi*na"tion (?), n. Determination by one's self; or, determination of one's acts or states without the necessitating force of motives; -- applied to the voluntary or activity.

Self`-de*ter"min*ing (?), a. Capable of self-determination; as, the self-determining power of will.

Self`-de*vised" (?), a. Devised by one's self.

Self`-de*vot"ed (?), a. Devoted in person, or by one's own will. Hawthorne.

Self`-de*vote"ment (?), n. Self- devotion. [R.]

Self`-de*vo"tion (?), n. The act of devoting one's self, or the state of being self-devoted; willingness to sacrifice one's own advantage or happiness for the sake of others; self-sacrifice.

Self`-de*vour"ing (?), a. Devouring one's self or itself. Danham.

Self`-dif*fu"sive (?), a. Having power to diffuse itself; diffusing itself. Norris.

Self`-dis"ci*pline (?), n. Correction or government of one's self for the sake of improvement.

Self`-dis*trust" (?), n. Want of confidence in one' self; diffidence.

Self`-ed"u*ca`ted (?), a. Educated by one's own efforts, without instruction, or without pecuniary assistance from others.

Self`-e*lect"ive (?), a. Having the right of electing one's self, or, as a body, of electing its own members.

Self`-en*joy"ment, (?) n. Enjoyment of one's self; self-satisfaction.

Self`-es*teem" (?), n. The holding a good opinion of one's self; self-complacency.

Self`-es`ti*ma"tion (?), n. The act of estimating one's self; self-esteem.

Self`-ev"i*dence (?), n. The quality or state of being self-evident. Locke.

Self`-ev"i*dent (?), a. Evident without proof or reasoning; producing certainty or conviction upon a bare presentation to the mind; as, a self-evident proposition or truth. -- Self`-ev"i*dent*ly, adv.

Self`-ev`o*lu"tion (?), n. Evolution of one's self; development by inherent quality or power.

Self`-ex`al*ta"tion (?), n. The act of exalting one's self, or the state of being so exalted.

Self`-ex*am"i*nant (?), n. One who examines himself; one given to self-examination.

The humiliated self-examinant feels that there is evil in our nature as well as good.

Coleridge.

Self`-ex*am`i*na"tion (?), n. An examination into one's own state, conduct, and motives, particularly in regard to religious feelings and duties.

Self`-ex*ist"ence (?), n. Inherent existence; existence possessed by virtue of a being's own nature, and independent of any other being or cause; -- an attribute peculiar to God. Blackmore.

Self`-ex*ist"ent (?), a. Existing of or by himself, independent of any other being or cause; -- as, God is the only self-existent being.

self`-ex*plain"ing (?), a. Explaining itself; capable of being understood without explanation.

Self`-ex*po"sure (?), n. The act of exposing one's self; the state of being so exposed.

Self`-fer`ti*li*za"tion (?), n. (Bot.) The fertilization of a flower by pollen from the same flower and without outer aid; autogamy.

Self`-fer"ti*lized (?), a. (Bot.) Fertilized by pollen from the same flower.

Self`-glo"ri*ous (?), a. Springing from vainglory or vanity; vain; boastful. Dryden.

Self`-gov"ern*ment (?), n. 1. The act of governing one's self, or the state of being governed by one's self; self-control; self-command.

2. Hence, government of a community, state, or nation by the joint action of the mass of people constituting such a civil body; also, the state of being so governed; democratic government; democracy.

It is to self-government, the great principle of popular representation and administration, -- the system that lets in all to participate in the councels that are to assign the good or evil to all, -- that we may owe what we are and what we hope to be.

D. Webster.

Self`-grat`u*la"tion (?), n. Gratulation of one's self.

Self`-heal" (?), n. (Bot.) A blue-flowered labiate plant (Brunella vulgaris); the healall.

Self`-heal"ing (?), a. Having the power or property of healing itself.

Self`-help" (?), n. The act of aiding one's self, without depending on the aid of others.

Self`-hom"i*cide (?), n. The act of killing one's self; suicide. Hakewill.

Self"hood (?), n. Existence as a separate self, or independent person; conscious personality; individuality. Bib. Sacra.

Self`-ig"no*rance (?), n. Ignorance of one's own character, powers, and limitations.

Self`-ig"no*rant (?), a. Ignorant of one's self.

Self`-im*part"ing (?), a. Imparting by one's own, or by its own, powers and will. Norris.

Self`-im*por"tance (?), n. An exaggerated estimate of one's own importance or merit, esp. as manifested by the conduct or manners; self-conceit.

Self`-im*por"tant (?), a. Having or manifesting an exaggerated idea of one's own importance or merit.

Self`-im*posed" (?), a. Voluntarily taken on one's self; as, self-imposed tasks.

Self`-im*pos"ture (?), n. Imposture practiced on one's self; self-deceit. South.

Self`-in`dig*na"tion (?), n. Indignation at one's own character or actions. Baxter.

Self`-in*dul"gence (?), n. Indulgence of one's appetites, desires, or inclinations; -- the opposite of self-restraint, and self-denial.

Self`-in*dul"gent (?), a. Indulging one's appetites, desires, etc., freely.

Self`-in"ter*est (?), n. Private interest; the interest or advantage of one's self.

Self`-in"ter*est*ed, a. Particularly concerned for one's own interest or happiness.

Self`-in`vo*lu"tion (?), n. Involution in one's self; hence, abstraction of thought; reverie.

Self"ish (?), a. 1. Caring supremely or unduly for one's self; regarding one's own comfort, advantage, etc., in disregard, or at the expense, of those of others.

They judge of things according to their own private appetites and selfish passions.

Cudworth.

In that throng of selfish hearts untrue.

Keble.

2. (Ethics) Believing or teaching that the chief motives of human action are derived from love of self.

Hobbes and the selfish school of philosophers.

Fleming.

Self"ish*ly, adv. In a selfish manner; with regard to private interest only or chiefly.

Self"ish*ness, n. The quality or state of being selfish; exclusive regard to one's own interest or happiness; that supreme self-love or self-preference which leads a person to direct his purposes to the advancement of his own interest, power, or happiness, without regarding those of others.

Selfishness, -- a vice utterly at variance with the happiness of him who harbors it, and, as such, condemned by self- love.

Sir J. Mackintosh.

Syn. -- See Self-love.

Self"ism (?), n. Concentration of one's interests on one's self; self-love; selfishness. Emerson.

Self"ist, n. A selfish person. [R.] I. Taylor.

Self`-jus"ti*fi`er (?), n. One who excuses or justifies himself. J. M. Mason.

Self`-kin"dled (?), a. Kindled of itself, or without extraneous aid or power. Dryden.

Self`-know"ing (?), a. 1. Knowing one's self, or one's own character, powers, and limitations.

2. Knowing of itself, without help from another.

Self`-knowl"edge (?), n. Knowledge of one's self, or of one's own character, powers, limitations, etc.

Self"less, a. Having no regard to self; unselfish.

Lo now, what hearts have men! they never mount As high as woman in her selfless mood.

Tennyson.

Self"less*ness, n. Quality or state of being selfless.

Self"-life` (?), n. Life for one's self; living solely or chiefly for one's own pleasure or good.

Self`-love` (?), n. The love of one's self; desire of personal happiness; tendency to seek one's own benefit or advantage. Shak.

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul.

Pope.

Syn. -- Selfishness. -- Self-love, Selfishness. The term self-love is used in a twofold sense: 1. It denotes that longing for good or for well- being which actuates the breasts of all, entering into and characterizing every special desire. In this sense it has no moral quality, being, from the nature of the case, neither good nor evil. 2. It is applied to a voluntary regard for the gratification of special desires. In this sense it is morally good or bad according as these desires are conformed to duty or opposed to it. Selfishness is always voluntary and always wrong, being that regard to our own interests, gratification, etc., which is sought or indulged at the expense, and to the injury, of others. "So long as self-love does not degenerate into selfishness, it is quite compatible with true benevolence." Fleming. "Not only is the phrase self-love used as synonymous with the desire of happiness, but it is often confounded with the word selfishness, which certainly, in strict propriety, denotes a very different disposition of mind." Slewart.

Self`-lu"mi*nous (?), a. Possessing in itself the property of emitting light. Sir D. Brewster.

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Self"-made` (?), a. Made by one's self.

Self-made man, a man who has risen from poverty or obscurity by means of his own talents or energies.

Self"-met`tle (?), n. Inborn mettle or courage; one's own temper. [Obs.] Shak.

Self`-mo"tion (?), n. Motion given by inherent power, without external impulse; spontaneous or voluntary motion.

Matter is not induced with self- motion.

Cheyne.

Self`-moved" (?), a. Moved by inherent power., without the aid of external impulse.

Self`-mov"ing (?), a. Moving by inherent power, without the aid of external impulse.

Self`-mur"der (?), a. Suicide.

Self`-mur"der*er (?), n. A suicide.

Self`-neg*lect"ing (?), n. A neglecting of one's self, or of one's own interests.

Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin As self-neglecting.

Shak.

Self"ness, n. Selfishness. [Obs.] Sir. P. Sidney.

Self`-one" (?), a. Secret. [Obs.] Marston.

Self`-o*pin"ion (?), n. Opinion, especially high opinion, of one's self; an overweening estimate of one's self or of one's own opinion. Collier.

Self`-o*pin"ioned (?), a. Having a high opinion of one's self; opinionated; conceited. South.

Self`-o*rig"i*na`ting (?), a. Beginning with, or springing from, one's self.

Self`-par`ti*al"i*ty (?), n. That partiality to himself by which a man overrates his own worth when compared with others. Kames.

Self`-per*plexed" (?), a. Perplexed by doubts originating in one's own mind.

Self`-pos"it*ed (?), a. Disposed or arranged by an action originating in one's self or in itself.

These molecular blocks of salt are self- posited.

Tyndall.

Self`-pos"it*ing, a. The act of disposing or arranging one's self or itself.

The self-positing of the molecules.

R. Watts.

Self"-pos*sessed" (?), a. Composed or tranquil in mind, manner, etc.; undisturbed.

Self`-pos*ses"sion (?), n. The possession of one's powers; calmness; self-command; presence of mind; composure.

Self"-praise` (?), n. Praise of one's self.

Self`-pres`er*va"tion (?), n. The preservation of one's self from destruction or injury.

Self`-prop"a*ga`ting (?), a. Propagating by one's self or by itself.

Self`-reg"is*ter*ing (?), a. Registering itself; -- said of any instrument so contrived as to record its own indications of phenomena, whether continuously or at stated times, as at the maxima and minima of variations; as, a self-registering anemometer or barometer.

Self`-reg"u*la`ted (?), a. Regulated by one's self or by itself.

Self`-reg"u*la*tive (?), a. Tending or serving to regulate one's self or itself. Whewell.

Self`-re*li"ance (?), n. Reliance on one's own powers or judgment; self-trust.

Self`-re*li"ant (?), a. Reliant upon one's self; trusting to one's own powers or judgment.

Self`-re*nun`ci*a"tion (?), n. The act of renouncing, or setting aside, one's own wishes, claims, etc.; self-sacrifice.

Self`-re*pel"len*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being self-repelling.

Self`-re*pel"ling, (&?;) a. Made up of parts, as molecules or atoms, which mutually repel each other; as, gases are self-repelling.

Self`-rep`e*ti"tion (?), n. Repetition of one's self or of one's acts; the saying or doing what one has already said or done.

Self`-re*proach" (?), n. The act of reproaching one's self; censure by one's own conscience.

Self`-re*proached" (?), a. Reproached by one's own conscience or judgment.

Self`-re*proach"ing (?), a. Reproaching one's self. -- Self`-re*proach"ing*ly, adv.

Self`-re*proof" (?), n. The act of reproving one's self; censure of one's conduct by one's own judgment.

Self`-re*proved" (?), a. Reproved by one's own conscience or one's own sense of guilt.

Self`-re*prov"ing (?), a. Reproving one's self; reproving by consciousness of guilt.

Self`-re*prov"ing*ly, adv. In a self-reproving way.

Self`-re*pug"nant (?), a. Self- contradictory; inconsistent. Brougham.

Self`-re*pul"sive (?), a. Self- repelling.

Self`-re*spect" (?), n. Respect for one's self; regard for one's character; laudable self- esteem.

Self`-re*strained" (?), a. Restrained by one's self or itself; restrained by one's own power or will.

Self`-re*straint" (?), n. Restraint over one's self; self-control; self-command.

Self`-rev"er*ence (?), n. A reverent respect for one's self. Tennyson.

Self`-right"eous (?), a. Righteous in one's own esteem; pharisaic.

Self`-right"eous*ness, n. The quality or state of being self-righteous; pharisaism.

Self`-sac"ri*fice (?), n. The act of sacrificing one's self, or one's interest, for others; self- devotion.

Self`-sac"ri*fi`cing (?), a. Yielding up one's own interest, feelings, etc; sacrificing one's self.

Self"same (?), a. [Self, a. + same.] Precisely the same; the very same; identical.

His servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Matt. viii. 13.

Self`-sat`is*fac"tion (?), n. The quality or state of being self-satisfied.

Self`-sat"is*fied (?), a. Satisfied with one's self or one's actions; self-complacent.

Self`-sat"is*fy`ing (?), a. Giving satisfaction to one's self.

Self"-seek`er, n. One who seeks only his own interest, advantage, or pleasure.

Self"-seek`ing, a. Seeking one's own interest or happiness; selfish. Arbuthnot.

Self"-seek`ing, n. The act or habit of seeking one's own interest or happiness; selfishness.

Self`-slaugh"ter (?), n. Suicide. Shak.

Self`-suf*fi"cien*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being self-sufficient.

Self`-suf*fi"cient (?), a. 1. Sufficient for one's self without external aid or coöperation.

Neglect of friends can never be proved rational till we prove the person using it omnipotent and self-sufficient, and such as can never need any mortal assistance.

South.

2. Having an overweening confidence in one's own abilities or worth; hence, haughty; overbearing. "A rash and self-sufficient manner." I. Watts.

Self`-suf*fi"cing (?), a. Sufficing for one's self or for itself, without needing external aid; self- sufficient. -- Self`-suf*fi"cing*ness, n. J. C. Shairp.

Self`-sus*pend"ed (?), a. Suspended by one's self or by itself; balanced. Southey.

Self`-sus*pi"cious (?), a. Suspicious or distrustful of one's self. Baxter.

Self"-taught` (?), a. Taught by one's own efforts.

Self`-tor*ment"or (?), n. One who torments himself.

Self`-tor"ture (?), n. The act of inflicting pain on one's self; pain inflicted on one's self.

Self"-trust`, n. Faith in one's self; self-reliance.

Self`-uned" (?), a. [E. self + L. unus one.] One with itself; separate from others. [Obs.] Sylvester.

Self"-view` (?), n. A view of one's self; specifically, carefulness or regard for one's own interests.

Self`-will" (?), n. [AS. selfwill.] One's own will, esp. when opposed to that of others; obstinacy.

Self`-willed" (?), a. Governed by one's own will; not yielding to the wishes of others; obstinate.

Self`-willed"ness, n. Obstinacy. Sir W. Scott.

Self"-wor`ship (?), n. The idolizing of one's self; immoderate self-conceit.

Self"-wrong` (?), n. Wrong done by a person himself. Shak.

Sel"ion (?), n. [OF. seillon a measure of land, F. sillon a ridge, furrow, LL. selio a measure of land.] A short piece of land in arable ridges and furrows, of uncertain quantity; also, a ridge of land lying between two furrows. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Sel*juk"i*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Seljuk, a Tartar chief who embraced Mohammedanism, and began the subjection of Western Asia to that faith and rule; of or pertaining to the dynasty founded by him, or the empire maintained by his descendants from the 10th to the 13th century. J. H. Newman.

Sel*juk"i*an, n. A member of the family of Seljuk; an adherent of that family, or subject of its government; (pl.) the dynasty of Turkish sultans sprung from Seljuk.

Sell (sl), n. Self. [Obs. or Scot.] B. Jonson.

Sell, n. A sill. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sell, n. A cell; a house. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sell, n. [F. selle, L. sella, akin to sedere to sit. See Sit.] 1. A saddle for a horse. [Obs.]

He left his lofty steed with golden self.

Spenser.

2. A throne or lofty seat. [Obs.] Fairfax.

Sell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sold (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Selling.] [OE. sellen, sillen, AS. sellan, syllan, to give, to deliver; akin to OS. sellian, OFries. sella, OHG. sellen, Icel. selja to hand over, to sell, Sw. sälja to sell, Dan. s&?;lge, Goth. saljan to offer a sacrifice; all from a noun akin to E. sale. Cf. Sale.] 1. To transfer to another for an equivalent; to give up for a valuable consideration; to dispose of in return for something, especially for money.

If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor.

Matt. xix. 21.

I am changed; I'll go sell all my land.

Shak.

Sell is corellative to buy, as one party buys what the other sells. It is distinguished usually from exchange or barter, in which one commodity is given for another; whereas in selling the consideration is usually money, or its representative in current notes.

2. To make a matter of bargain and sale of; to accept a price or reward for, as for a breach of duty, trust, or the like; to betray.

You would have sold your king to slaughter.

Shak.

3. To impose upon; to trick; to deceive; to make a fool of; to cheat. [Slang] Dickens.

To sell one's life dearly, to cause much loss to those who take one's life, as by killing a number of one's assailants. -- To sell (anything) out, to dispose of it wholly or entirely; as, he had sold out his corn, or his interest in a business.

Sell, v. i. 1. To practice selling commodities.

I will buy with you, sell with you; . . . but I will not eat with you.

Shak.

2. To be sold; as, corn sells at a good price.

To sell out, to sell one's whole stockk in trade or one's entire interest in a property or a business.

Sell, n. An imposition; a cheat; a hoax. [Colloq.]

{ Sel"lan*ders (?), Sel"len*ders (?), } n. pl. (Far.) See Sallenders.

Sell"er (?), n. One who sells. Chaucer.

Sel"ters wa"ter (?). A mineral water from Sellers, in the district of Nassan, Germany, containing much free carbonic acid.

Selt"zer wa"ter (?). See Selters water.

Selt"zo-gene (?), n. [Seltzer water + the root of Gr. &?;&?;&?; to be born.] A gazogene.

{ Sel"vage, Sel"vedge } (?), n. [Self + edge, i. e., its own proper edge; cf. OD. selfegge.] 1. The edge of cloth which is woven in such a manner as to prevent raveling.

2. The edge plate of a lock, through which the bolt passes. Knight.

3. (Mining.) A layer of clay or decomposed rock along the wall of a vein. See Gouge, n., 4. Raymond.

{ Sel"vaged, Sel"vedged } (?), a. Having a selvage.

Sel`va*gee" (?), n. (Naut.) A skein or hank of rope yarns wound round with yarns or marline, -- used for stoppers, straps, etc.

Selve (?), a. Self; same. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Selves (?), n., pl. of Self.

Se"ly (?), a. Silly. [Obs.] Chaucer. Wyclif.

||Se*mæ`o*stom"a*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; a military ||standard + &?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;, mouth.] (Zoöl.) A division of ||Discophora having large free mouth lobes. It includes Aurelia, and ||Pelagia. Called also Semeostoma. See Illustr. under Discophora, and ||Medusa.

Sem"a*phore (?), n. [Gr. sh^ma a sign + fe`rein to bear: cf. F. sémaphore.] A signal telegraph; an apparatus for giving signals by the disposition of lanterns, flags, oscillating arms, etc.

{ Sem`a*phor"ic (?), Sem`a*phor"ic*al (?) } a. [Cf. F. sémaphorique.] Of or pertaining to a semaphore, or semaphores; telegraphic.

Sem`a*phor"ic*al*ly, adv. By means of a semaphore.

Se*maph"o*rist (?), n. One who manages or operates a semaphore.

Sem`a*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. sh^ma, sh`matos, sign + -logy.] The doctrine of signs as the expression of thought or reasoning; the science of indicating thought by signs. Smart.

Sem"a*trope (?), n. [Gr. sh^ma sign + tre`pein to turn. ] An instrument for signaling by reflecting the rays of the sun in different directions. Knight.

Sem"bla*ble (?), a. [F., from sembler to seem, resemble, L. similare, simulare. See Simulate.] Like; similar; resembling. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sem"bla*ble, n. Likeness; representation. [Obs.]

Sem"bla*bly, adv. In like manner. [Obs.] Shak.

Sem"blance (?), n. [F. See Semblable, a.] 1. Seeming; appearance; show; figure; form.

Thier semblance kind, and mild their gestures were.

Fairfax.

2. Likeness; resemblance, actual or apparent; similitude; as, the semblance of worth; semblance of virtue.

Only semblances or imitations of shells.

Woodward.

Sem"blant (?), a. [F. semblant, p. pr.] 1. Like; resembling. [Obs.] Prior.

2. Seeming, rather than real; apparent. [R.] Carlyle.

Sem"blant, n. [F.] 1. Show; appearance; figure; semblance. [Obs.] Spenser.

His flatterers made semblant of weeping.

Chaucer.

2. The face. [Obs.] Wyclif (Luke xxiv. 5).

Sem"bla*tive (?), a. Resembling. [Obs.]

And all is semblative a woman's part.

Shak.

Sem"ble (?), v. i. [F. sembler. See Semblable, a.] 1. To imitate; to make a representation or likeness. [Obs.]

Where sembling art may carve the fair effect.

Prior.

2. (Law) It seems; -- chiefly used impersonally in reports and judgments to express an opinion in reference to the law on some point not necessary to be decided, and not intended to be definitely settled in the cause.

Sem"ble, a. Like; resembling. [Obs.] T. Hudson.

Sem"bling (?), n. [Cf. Assemble.] (Zoöl.) The practice of attracting the males of Lepidoptera or other insects by exposing the female confined in a cage.

It is often adopted by collectors in order to procure specimens of rare species.

||Se*mé" (?), a. [F. semé, fr. semer to sow.] (Her.) Sprinkled or sown; ||-- said of field, or a charge, when strewed or covered with small ||charges.

{ Se`mei*og"ra*phy (?), or Se`mi*og"ra*phy (?) }, n. [Gr. shmei^on sign + -graphy.] (Med.) A description of the signs of disease.

{ Se`mei*o*log"ic*al (?), or Se`mi*o*log"io*al }, a. Of or pertaining to the science of signs, or the systematic use of signs; as, a semeiological classification of the signs or symptoms of disease; a semeiological arrangement of signs used as signals.

{ Se`mei*ol"o*gy (?), or Se`mi*ol"o*gy }, n. [Gr. shmei^on a mark, a sign + - logy.] The science or art of signs. Specifically: (a) (Med.) The science of the signs or symptoms of disease; symptomatology. (b) The art of using signs in signaling.

{ Se`mei*ot"ic (?), or Se`mi*ot"ic }, a. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, fr. shmei^on a mark, a sign.] 1. Relating to signs or indications; pertaining to the language of signs, or to language generally as indicating thought.

2. (Med.) Of or pertaining to the signs or symptoms of diseases.

{ Se`mei*ot"ics (?), or Se`mi*ot"ics }, n. Semeiology.

Sem"e*le (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;.] (Gr. Myth.) A daughter of Cadmus, and by Zeus mother of Bacchus.

||Se"men (?), n.; pl. Semina (#). [L., from the root of serere, satum, ||to sow. See Sow to scatter seed.] 1. (Bot.) The seed of plants.

2. (Physiol.) The seed or fecundating fluid of male animals; sperm. It is a white or whitish viscid fluid secreted by the testes, characterized by the presence of spermatozoids to which it owes its generative power.

Semen contra, or Semen cinæ or cynæ, a strong aromatic, bitter drug, imported from Aleppo and Barbary, said to consist of the leaves, peduncles, and unexpanded flowers of various species of Artemisia; wormseed.

Sem`e*nif"er*ous (?), a. (Biol.) Seminiferous.

<! p. 1308 !>

Se*mes"ter (?), n. [G., from L. semestris half-yearly; sex six + mensis a month.] A period of six months; especially, a term in a college or uneversity which divides the year into two terms.

Sem"i- (?). [L. semi; akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;, Skr. smi-, AS. sm-, and prob. to E. same, from the division into two parts of the same size. Cf. Hemi-, Sandelend.] A prefix signifying half, and sometimes partly or imperfectly; as, semiannual, half yearly; semitransparent, imperfectly transparent.

The prefix semi is joined to another word either with the hyphen or without it. In this book the hyphen is omitted except before a capital letter; as, semiacid, semiaquatic, semi-Arian, semiaxis, semicalcareous.

Sem`i*ac"id (?), a. Slightly acid; subacid.

Sem`i*a*cid"i*fied (?), a. Half acidified.

Sem`i*ad*her"ent (?), a. Adherent part way.

Sem`i*am*plex"i*caul (?), a. (Bot.) Partially amplexicaul; embracing the stem half round, as a leaf.

Sem"i*an`gle (?), n. (Geom.) The half of a given, or measuring, angle.

Sem`i*an"nu*al (?), a. Half- yearly.

Sem`i*an"nu*al*ly, adv. Every half year.

Sem`i*an"nu*lar (?), a. Having the figure of a half circle; forming a semicircle. Grew.

Sem`i-A"ri*an (?), n. [See Arian.] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of a branch of the Arians which did not acknowledge the Son to be consubstantial with the Father, that is, of the same substance, but admitted him to be of a like substance with the Father, not by nature, but by a peculiar privilege.

Sem"i-A"ri*an, a. Of or pertaining to Semi-Arianism.

Sem`i-A"ri*an*ism (?), n. The doctrines or tenets of the Semi-Arians.

Sem`i*ax"is (?), n. (Geom.) One half of the axis of an &?;llipse or other figure.

Sem`i*bar*ba"ri*an (?), a. Half barbarous; partially civilized. -- n. One partly civilized.

Sem`i*bar*bar"ic (?), a. Half barbarous or uncivilized; as, semibarbaric display.

Sem`i*bar"ba*rism (?), n. The quality or state of being half barbarous or uncivilized.

Sem`i*bar"ba*rous (?), a. Half barbarous.

Sem"i*breve` (?), n. [Pref. semi- + breve: cf. F. semi-breve, It. semibreve.] [Formerly written semibref.] (Mus.) A note of half the time or duration of the breve; -- now usually called a whole note. It is the longest note in general use.

Sem"i*brief` (?), n. (Mus.) A semibreve. [R.]

Sem"i*bull` (?), n. (R.C.Ch.) A bull issued by a pope in the period between his election and coronation.

Sem`i*cal*ca"re*ous (?), a. Half or partially calcareous; as, a semicalcareous plant.

Sem`i*cal*cined" (?), a. Half calcined; as, semicalcined iron.

Sem`i*cas"trate (?), v. t. To deprive of one testicle. -- Sem`i*cas*tra"tion (#),n.

Sem`i*cen*ten"ni*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to half of a century, or a period of fifty years; as, a semicentennial commemoration.

Sem`i*cen*ten"ni*al, n. A fiftieth anniversary.

Sem`i*cha*ot"ic (?), a. Partially chaotic.

Sem"i*cho`rus, n. (Mus.) A half chorus; a passage to be sung by a selected portion of the voices, as the female voices only, in contrast with the full choir.

Sem`i-Chris"tian*ized (?), a. Half Christianized.

Sem"i*cir`cle (?), n. 1. (a) The half of a circle; the part of a circle bounded by its diameter and half of its circumference. (b) A semicircumference.

2. A body in the form of half of a circle, or half of a circumference.

3. An instrument for measuring angles.

Sem"i*cir`cled (?), a. Semicircular. Shak.

Sem`i*cir"cu*lar (?), a. Having the form of half of a circle. Addison.

Semicircular canals (Anat.), certain canals of the inner ear. See under Ear.

Sem`i cir*cum"fer*ence (?), n. Half of a circumference.

Sem"i*cirque (?), n. A semicircular hollow or opening among trees or hills. Wordsworth.

Sem"i*co`lon (?), n. The punctuation mark [;] indicating a separation between parts or members of a sentence more distinct than that marked by a comma.

Sem"i*col`umn (?), n. A half column; a column bisected longitudinally, or along its axis.

Sem`i*co*lum"nar (?), a. Like a semicolumn; flat on one side and round on the other; imperfectly columnar.

Sem`i*com*pact" (?), a. Half compact; imperfectly indurated.

Sem`i*con"scious (?), a. Half conscious; imperfectly conscious. De Quincey.

Sem"i*cope` (?), n. A short cope, or an inferier kind of cope. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sem`i crus*ta"ceous (?), a. Half crustaceous; partially crustaceous.

Sem`i*crys"tal*line (?), a. (Min.) Half crystalline; -- said of certain cruptive rocks composed partly of crystalline, partly of amorphous matter.

Sem`i*cu"bic*al (?), a. (Math.) Of or pertaining to the square root of the cube of a quantity.

Semicubical parabola, a curve in which the ordinates are proportional to the square roots of the cubes of the abscissas.

{ Sem`i*cu"bi*um (?), Sem`i*cu"pi*um (?), } n. [LL., fr. L. semi half + cupa tub, cask.] A half bath, or one that covers only the lewer extremities and the hips; a sitz-bath; a half bath, or hip bath.

{ Sem`i*cy*lin"dric (?), Sem`i*cy*lyn"dric*al (?) } a. Half cylindrical.

Sem`i*de*is"tic*al (?), a. Half deisticsl; bordering on deism. S. Miller.

Sem`i*dem"i*qua`ver (?), n. (Mus.) A demisemiquaver; a thirty-second note.

Sem`i*de*tached" (?), a. Half detached; partly distinct or separate.

Semidetached house, one of two tenements under a single roof, but separated by a party wall. [Eng.]

Sem`i*di*am"e*ter (?), n. (Math.) Half of a diameter; a right line, or the length of a right line, drawn from the center of a circle, a sphere, or other curved figure, to its circumference or periphery; a radius.

Sem`i*di`a*pa"son (?), n. (Mus.) An imperfect octave.

Sem`i*di`a*pen"te (?), n. (Mus.) An imperfect or diminished fifth. Busby.

Sem`i*di`a*pha*ne"i*ty (?), n. Half or imperfect transparency; translucency. [R.] Boyle.

Sem`i*di*aph"a*nous (?), a. Half or imperfectly transparent; translucent. Woodward.

Sem`i*di`a*tes"sa*ron (?), n. (Mus.) An imperfect or diminished fourth. [R.]

Sem`i*di"tone` (?), n. [Pref. semi- + ditone: cf. It. semiditono. Cf. Hemiditone.] (Gr. Mus.) A lesser third, having its terms as 6 to 5; a hemiditone. [R.]

Sem`i*di*ur"nal (?), a. 1. Pertaining to, or accomplished in, half a day, or twelve hours; occurring twice every day.

2. Pertaining to, or traversed in, six hours, or in half the time between the rising and setting of a heavenly body; as, a semidiurnal arc.

Sem"i*dome` (?), n. (Arch.) A roof or ceiling covering a semicircular room or recess, or one of nearly that shape, as the apse of a church, a niche, or the like. It is approximately the quarter of a hollow sphere.

Sem"i*dou`ble (?), n. (Eccl.) An office or feast celebrated with less solemnity than the double ones. See Double, n., 8.

Sem`i*dou"ble, a. (Bot.) Having the outermost stamens converted into petals, while the inner ones remain perfect; -- said of a flower.

Sem"i*fa`ble (?), n. That which is part fable and part truth; a mixture of truth and fable. De Quincey.

Sem"i*flexed` (?), a. Half bent.

Sem"i*flo`ret (?), n. (Bot.) See Semifloscule.

Sem`i*flos"cu*lar (?), a. Semiflosculous.

Sem"i*flos`cule (?), n. (Bot.) A floscule, or florest, with its corolla prolonged into a strap- shaped petal; -- called also semifloret.

Sem`i*flos"cu*lous (?), a. (Bot.) Having all the florets ligulate, as in the dandelion.

Sem`i*flu"id (?), a. Imperfectly fluid. -- n. A semifluid substance.

Sem"i*form` (?), n. A half form; an imperfect form.

Sem"i*formed` (?), a. Half formed; imperfectly formed; as, semiformed crystals.

Sem`i*glu"tin (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A peptonelike body, insoluble in alcohol, formed by boiling collagen or gelatin for a long time in water. Hemicollin, a like body, is also formed at the same time, and differs from semiglutin by being partly soluble in alcohol.

Sem`i*his*tor"i*cal (?), a. Half or party historical. Sir G. C. Lewis.

Sem`i*ho"ral (?), a. Half- hourly.

Sem`i*in"du*ra`ted (?), a. Imperfectly indurated or hardened.

Sem`i*la*pid"i*fied (?), a. Imperfectly changed into stone. Kirwan.

Sem"i*lens` (?), n. (Opt.) The half of a lens divided along a plane passing through its axis.

Sem`i*len*tic"u*lar (?), a. Half lenticular or convex; imperfectly resembling a lens. Kirwan.

Sem`i*lig"ne*ous (?), a. Half or partially ligneous, as a stem partly woody and partly herbaceous.

Sem`i*liq"uid (?), a. Half liquid; semifluid.

Sem`i*li*quid"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being semiliquid; partial liquidity.

Sem`i*log"ic*al (?), a. Half logical; partly logical; said of fallacies. Whately.

Sem"i*lor (?), n. [Cf. G. similor, semilor.] A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc. See Simplor.

Sem`i*lu"nar (?), a. Shaped like a half moon.

Semilunar bone (Anat.), a bone of the carpus; the lunar. See Lunar, n. -- Semilunar, or Sigmoid, valves (Anat.), the valves at the beginning of the aorta and of the pulmonary artery which prevent the blood from flowing back into the ventricle.

Sem`i*lu"nar, n. (Anat.) The semilunar bone.

Sem`i*lu"na*ry (?), a. Semilunar.

Sem`i*lu"nate (?), a. Semilunar.

Sem"i*lune` (?), n. (Geom.) The half of a lune.

Sem"i*met`al (?), n. (Chem.) An element possessing metallic properties in an inferior degree and not malleable, as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, molybdenum, uranium, etc. [Obs.]

Sem`i*me*tal"lic (?), a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to a semimetal; possessing metallic properties in an inferior degree; resembling metal.

Sem`i*month"ly (?) a. Coming or made twice in a month; as, semimonthly magazine; a semimonthly payment. -- n. Something done or made every half month; esp., a semimonthly periodical. -- adv. In a semimonthly manner; at intervals of half a month.

Sem`i*mute" (?), a. Having the faculty of speech but imperfectly developed or partially lost.

Sem"i*mute` (?), n. A semimute person.

Sem"i*nal (?), a. [L. seminalis, fr. semen, seminis, seed, akin to serere to sow: cf. F. seminal. See Sow to scatter seed.] 1. Pertaining to, containing, or consisting of, seed or semen; as, the seminal fluid.

2. Contained in seed; holding the relation of seed, source, or first principle; holding the first place in a series of developed results or consequents; germinal; radical; primary; original; as, seminal principles of generation; seminal virtue.

The idea of God is, beyond all question or comparison, the one great seminal principle.

Hare.

Seminal leaf (Bot.), a seed leaf, or cotyleden. -- Seminal receptacle. (Zoöl.) Same as Spermatheca.

Sem"i*nal (?), n. A seed. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Sem`i*nal"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being seminal. Sir T. Browne.

{ Sem`i*na"ri*an (?), Sem"i*na*rist (?), } n. [Cf. F. séminariste.] A member of, or one educated in, a seminary; specifically, an ecclesiastic educated for the priesthood in a seminary.

Sem"i*na*ry (?), n.; pl. Seminaries (#). [L. seminarium, fr. seminarius belonging to seed, fr. semon, seminis, seed. See Seminal.] 1. A piece of ground where seed is sown for producing plants for transplantation; a nursery; a seed plat. [Obs.] Mortimer.

But if you draw them [seedling] only for the thinning of your seminary, prick them into some empty beds.

Evelyn.

2. Hence, the place or original stock whence anything is brought or produced. [Obs.] Woodward.

3. A place of education, as a scool of a high grade, an academy, college, or university.

4. Seminal state. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

5. Fig.: A seed bed; a source. [Obs.] Harvey.

6. A Roman Catholic priest educated in a foreign seminary; a seminarist. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Sem"i*na*ry, a. [L. seminarius.] Belonging to seed; seminal. [R.]

Sem"i*nate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seminated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Seminating.] [L. seminatus, p. p. of seminare to sow, fr. semen, seminis, seed.] To sow; to spread; to propagate. [R.] Waterhouse.

Sem`i*na"tion (?), n. [L. seminatio: cf. F. sémination.] 1. The act of sowing or spreading. [R.]

2. (Bot.) Natural dispersion of seeds. Martyn.

Sem"ined (?), a. [See Semen.] Thickly covered or sown, as with seeds. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Sem`i*nif"er*ous (?), a. [L. semen, semenis, seed -ferous.] (Biol.) Seed-bearing; producing seed; pertaining to, or connected with, the formation of semen; as, seminiferous cells or vesicles.

{ Sem`i*nif"ic (?), Sem`i*nif"ic*al (?), } a. [L. semen, seminis, seed + facere to make.] (Biol.) Forming or producing seed, or the male generative product of animals or of plants.

Sem`i*ni*fi*ca"tion (?), n. Propagation from seed. [R.] Sir M. Hale.

Sem"i*nist (?), n. (Biol.) A believer in the old theory that the newly created being is formed by the admixture of the seed of the male with the supposed seed of the female.

Sem"i*noles (?), n. pl.; sing. Seminole (&?;). (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians who formerly occupied Florida, where some of them still remain. They belonged to the Creek Confideration.

Sem"i*nose` (?), n. [L. semen seed + glucose.] (Chem.) A carbohydrate of the glucose group found in the thickened endosperm of certain seeds, and extracted as yellow sirup having a sweetish-bitter taste.

Sem`i*nude" (?), a. Partially nude; half naked.

Sem"i*nymph` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The pupa of insects which undergo only a slight change in passing to the imago state.

Sem`i*oc*ca"sion*al*ly (?), adv. Once in a while; on rare occasions. [Colloq. U. S.]

Sem`i*of*fi"cial (?), a. Half official; having some official authority or importance; as, a semiofficial statement. -- Sem`i*of*fi"cial*ly, adv.

{ Se`mi*og"ra*phy (?), Se`mi*ol"o*gy (?), Se`mi*o*log"ic*al (?) }. Same as Semeiography, Semeiology, Semeiological.

Sem`i*o*pa"cous (?), a. Semiopaque.

Sem"i*o`pal (?), n. (Min.) A variety of opal not possessing opalescence.

Sem`i*o*paque" (?), a. Half opaque; only half transparent.

Sem`i*or*bic"u*lar (?), a. Having the shape of a half orb or sphere.

Se`mi*ot"ic (?), a. Same as Semeiotic.

Se`mi*ot"ics (?), n. Same as Semeiotics.

Sem`i*o"val (?), a. Half oval.

Sem`i*o"vate (?), a. Half ovate.

Sem`i*ox"y*gen*a`ted (?), a. Combined with oxygen only in part. Kirwan.

Sem`i*pa"gan (?), a. Half pagan.

{ Sem`i*pal"mate (?), Sem`i*pal"ma*ted (?), } a. (Zoöl.) Having the anterior toes joined only part way down with a web; half-webbed; as, a semipalmate bird or foot. See Illust. k under Aves.

Sem`i*pa*rab"o*la (?), n. (Geom.) One branch of a parabola, being terminated at the principal vertex of the curve.

Sem"i*ped (?), n. [L. semipes, semipedis; pref. semi- half + pes, pedis, a foot.] (Pros.) A half foot in poetry.

Se*mip"e*dal (?), a. (Pres.) Containing a half foot.

Sem`i-Pe*la"gi*an (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of John Cassianus, a French monk (died about 448), who modified the doctrines of Pelagius, by denying human merit, and maintaining the necessity of the Spirit's influence, while, on the other hand, he rejected the Augustinian doctrines of election, the inability of man to do good, and the certain perseverance of the saints.

Sem`i-Pe*la"gi*an, a. Of or pertaining to the Semi-Pelagians, or their tenets.

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Sem`i-Pe*la"gi*an*ism (sm`*p*l"j*an*z'm), n. The doctrines or tenets of the Semi- Pelagians.

Sem`i*pel*lu"cid (-pl*l"sd), a. Half clear, or imperfectly transparent; as, a semipellucid gem.

Sem`i*pel`lu*cid"i*ty (- pl`l*sd"*t), n. The quality or state of being imperfectly transparent.

Sem`i*pen"ni*form (-pn"n*fôrm), a. (Anat.) Half or partially penniform; as, a semipenniform muscle.

Sem`i*per"ma*nent, n. Half or partly permanent.

Sem`i*per*spic"u*ous (- pr*spk"*s), a. Half transparent; imperfectly clear; semipellucid.

Sem`i*phlo*gis"ti*ca`ted (- fl*js"t*k`td), a. (Old Chem.) Partially impregnated with phlogiston.

Sem"i*plume` (sm`*plm), n. (Zoöl.) A feather which has a plumelike web, with the shaft of an ordinary feather.

Sem`i*pre"cious (-prsh"s), a. Somewhat precious; as, semiprecious stones or metals.

Sem"i*proof` (?), n. Half proof; evidence from the testimony of a single witness. [Obs.] Bailey.

Sem`i pu"pa (?), n. (Zoöl.) The young of an insect in a stage between the larva and pupa.

{ Sem"i*quad`rate (?), Sem"i*quar"tile (?), } n. (Astrol.) An aspect of the planets when distant from each other the half of a quadrant, or forty-five degrees, or one sign and a half. Hutton.

Sem"i*qua`ver (?), n. (Mus.) A note of half the duration of the quaver; -- now usually called a sixsteenth note.

Sem"i*quin`tile (?), n. (Astrol.) An aspect of the planets when distant from each other half of the quintile, or thirty-six degrees.

Sem`i*rec"on*dite (?), a. (Zool.) Half hidden or half covered; said of the head of an insect when half covered by the shield of the thorax.

Sem"i*ring` (?), n. (Anat.) One of the incomplete rings of the upper part of the bronchial tubes of most birds. The semerings form an essential part of the syrinx, or musical organ, of singing birds.

Sem`i*sav"age (?), a. Half savage.

Sem"i*sav`age, n. One who is half savage.

Sem`i-Sax"on (?), a. Half Saxon; -- specifically applied to the language intermediate between Saxon and English, belonging to the period 1150-1250.

Sem"i*sex"tile (?), n. (Astrol.) An aspect of the planets when they are distant from each other the twelfth part of a circle, or thirty degrees. Hutton.

Sem`i*sol"id (?), a. Partially solid.

Sem"i*soun (-sn), n. A half sound; a low tone. [Obs.] "Soft he cougheth with a semisoun." Chaucer.

{ Sem`i*spher"ic (?), Sem`i*spher"ic*al (?), } a. Having the figure of a half sphere. Kirwan.

Sem`i*sphe*roid"al (?), a. Formed like a half spheroid.

Sem"i*steel` (&?;), n. Puddled steel. [U. S. ]

||Sem"i*ta (?), n.; pl. Semitæ. [L., a path.] (Zoöl.) A fasciole of a ||spatangoid sea urchin.

Sem"i*tan`gent (?), n. (Geom.) The tangent of half an arc.

Sem"ite (?), n. One belonging to the Semitic race. Also used adjectively. [Written also Shemite.]

Sem`i*te*rete" (?), a. (Nat. Hist.) Half terete.

Sem`i*ter"tian (?), a. (Med.) Having the characteristics of both a tertian and a quotidian intermittent. -- n. An intermittent combining the characteristics of a tertian and a quotidian.

Sem*it"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Shem or his descendants; belonging to that division of the Caucasian race which includes the Arabs, Jews, and related races. [Written also Shemitic.]

Semitic language, a name used to designate a group of Asiatic and African languages, some living and some dead, namely: Hebrew and Phœnician, Aramaic, Assyrian, Arabic, Ethiopic (Geez and Ampharic). Encyc. Brit.

Sem"i*tism (?), n. A Semitic idiom; a word of Semitic origin. [Written also Shemitism.]

Sem"i*tone (?), n. [Pref. semi- + tone. CF. Hemitone.] (Mus.) Half a tone; -- the name commonly applied to the smaller intervals of the diatonic scale.

There is an impropriety in the use of this word, and half step is now preferred. See Tone. J. S. Dwight.

Sem`i*ton"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a semitone; consisting of a semitone, or of semitones.

Sem"i*tran`sept (?), n. (Arch.) The half of a transept; as, the north semitransept of a church.

Sem`i*trans*lu"cent (?), a. Slightly clear; transmitting light in a slight degree.

Sem`i*trans*par"en*cy (?), n. Imperfect or partial transparency.

Sem`i*trans*par"ent (?), a. Half or imperfectly transparent.

Sem`i*ver*tic"il*late, (&?;) a. Partially verticillate.

Sem"i*vif (?), a. [L. semivivus.] Only half alive. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

Sem`i*vit"re*ous (?), a. Partially vitreous.

Sem`i*vit"ri*fi*ca"tion (?), n. 1. The quality or state of being semivitrified.

2. A substance imperfectly vitrified.

Sem`i*vit"ri*fied (?), a. Half or imperfectly vitrified; partially converted into glass.

Sem`i*vo"cal (?), a. (Phon.) Of or pertaining to a semivowel; half cocal; imperfectly sounding.

Sem"i*vow`el (?), n. (Phon.) (a) A sound intermediate between a vowel and a consonant, or partaking of the nature of both, as in the English w and y. (b) The sign or letter representing such a sound.

Sem`i*week"ly (?), a. Coming, or made, or done, once every half week; as, a semiweekly newspaper; a semiweekly trip. -- n. That which comes or happens once every half week, esp. a semiweekly periodical. -- adv. At intervals of half a week each.

||Sem`o*lel"la (?), n. [It.] See Semolina.

Sem`o*li"na (?), n. [It. semolino, from semola bran, L. simila the finest wheat flour. Cf. Semoule, Simnel.] The fine, hard parts of wheat, rounded by the attrition of the millstones, -- used in cookery.

||Sem`o*li"no (?), n. [It.] Same as Semolina.

||Se*moule" (?), n. [F.] Same as Semolina.

Sem`per*vi"rent (?), a. [L. semper always + virens, p. pr. of virere to be green.] Always fresh; evergreen. [R.] Smart.

Sem"per*vive (?), n. [L. semperviva, sempervivum, fr. sempervivus ever- living; semper always + vivus living.] (Bot.) The houseleek.

||Sem`per*vi"vum (?), n. (Bot.) A genus of fleshy-leaved plants, of ||which the houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum) is the commonest species.

Sem`pi*ter"nal (?), a. [L. sempiternus, fr. semper always: cf. F. sempiternel.] 1. Of neverending duration; everlasting; endless; having beginning, but no end. Sir M. Hale.

2. Without beginning or end; eternal. Blackmore.

Sem"pi*terne (?), a. Sempiternal. [Obs.]

Sem`pi*ter"ni*ty (?), n. [L. sempiternitas.] Future duration without end; the relation or state of being sempiternal. Sir M. Hale.

Sem"pre (?), adv. [It., fr. L. semper.] (Mus.) Always; throughout; as, sempre piano, always soft.

Semp"ster (?), n. A seamster. [Obs.]

Semp"stress (?), n. A seamstress.

Two hundred sepstress were employed to make me shirts.

Swift.

Semp"stress*y (?), n. Seamstressy.

Sem"ster (?), n. A seamster. [Obs.]

||Se*mun"ci*a (?), n. [L., fr. semi half + uncia ounce.] (Rom. Antiq.) ||A Roman coin equivalent to one twenty-fourth part of a Roman pound.

Sen (?), n. A Japanese coin, worth about one half of a cent.

Sen, adv., prep., & conj. [See Since.] Since. [Obs.]

Sen"a*ry (?), a. [L. senarius, fr. seni six each, fr. sex six. See Six.] Of six; belonging to six; containing six. Dr. H. More.

Sen"ate (?), n. [OE. senat, F. sénat, fr. L. senatus, fr. senex, gen. senis, old, an old man. See Senior, Sir.] 1. An assembly or council having the highest deliberative and legislative functions. Specifically: (a) (Anc. Rom.) A body of elders appointed or elected from among the nobles of the nation, and having supreme legislative authority.

The senate was thus the medium through which all affairs of the whole government had to pass.

Dr. W. Smith.

(b) The upper and less numerous branch of a legislature in various countries, as in France, in the United States, in most of the separate States of the United States, and in some Swiss cantons. (c) In general, a legislative body; a state council; the legislative department of government.

2. The governing body of the Universities of Cambridge and London. [Eng.]

3. In some American colleges, a council of elected students, presided over by the president of the college, to which are referred cases of discipline and matters of general concern affecting the students. [U. S.]

Senate chamber, a room where a senate meets when it transacts business. -- Senate house, a house where a senate meets when it transacts business.

Sen"a*tor (?), n. [OE. senatour, OF. senatour, F. sénateur, fr. L. senator.] 1. A member of a senate.

The duke and senators of Venice greet you.

Shak.

In the United States, each State sends two senators for a term of six years to the national Congress.

2. (O.Eng.Law) A member of the king's council; a king's councilor. Burrill.

Sen`a*to"ri*al (?), a. [F. sénatorial, or L. senatorius.] 1. Of or pertaining to a senator, or a senate; becoming to a senator, or a senate; as, senatorial duties; senatorial dignity.

2. Entitled to elect a senator, or by senators; as, the senatorial districts of a State. [U. S.]

Sen`a*to"ri*al*ly, adv. In a senatorial manner.

Sen`a*to"ri*an (?), a. Senatorial. [R.] De Quincey.

Sen`a*to"ri*ous (?), a. Senatorial. [Obs.]

Sen"a*tor*ship (?), n. The office or dignity of a senator. Carew.

Se*na`tus*con*sult" (?), n. [L. senatus consultum.] A decree of the Roman senate.

Send (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sent (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Sending.] [AS. sendan; akin to OS. sendian, D. zenden, G. senden, OHG. senten, Icel. senda, Sw. sända, Dan. sende, Goth. sandjan, and to Goth. sinp a time (properly, a going), gasinpa companion, OHG. sind journey, AS. s&?;, Icel. sinni a walk, journey, a time. W. hynt a way, journey, OIr. s&?;t. Cf. Sense.] 1. To cause to go in any manner; to dispatch; to commission or direct to go; as, to send a messenger.

I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.

Jer. xxiii. 21.

I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

John viii. 42.

Servants, sent on messages, stay out somewhat longer than the message requires.

Swift.

2. To give motion to; to cause to be borne or carried; to procure the going, transmission, or delivery of; as, to send a message.

He . . . sent letters by posts on horseback.

Esther viii. 10.

O send out thy light an thy truth; let them lead me.

Ps. xliii. 3.

3. To emit; to impel; to cast; to throw; to hurl; as, to send a ball, an arrow, or the like.

4. To cause to be or to happen; to bestow; to inflict; to grant; -- sometimes followed by a dependent proposition. "God send him well!" Shak.

The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke.

Deut. xxviii. 20.

And sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matt. v. 45.

God send your mission may bring back peace.

Sir W. Scott.

Send (?), v. i. 1. To dispatch an agent or messenger to convey a message, or to do an errand.

See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head?

2 Kings vi. 32.

2. (Naut.) To pitch; as, the ship sends forward so violently as to endanger her masts. Totten.

To send for, to request or require by message to come or be brought.

Send, n. (Naut.) The impulse of a wave by which a vessel is carried bodily. [Written also scend.] W. C. Russell. "The send of the sea". Longfellow.

Sen"dal (?), n. [OF. cendal (cf. Pr. & Sp. cendal, It. zendale), LL. cendallum, Gr. &?;&?;&?; a fine Indian cloth.] A light thin stuff of silk. [Written also cendal, and sendal.] Chaucer.

Wore she not a veil of twisted sendal embroidered with silver?

Sir W. Scott.

Send"er (?), n. One who sends. Shak.

Sen"e*cas (?), n. pl.; sing. Seneca (&?;). (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited a part of Western New York. This tribe was the most numerous and most warlike of the Five Nations.

Seneca grass(Bot.), holy grass. See under Holy. -- Seneca eil, petroleum or naphtha. -- Seneca root, or Seneca snakeroot (Bot.), the rootstock of an American species of milkworth (Polygala Senega) having an aromatic but bitter taste. It is often used medicinally as an expectorant and diuretic, and, in large doses, as an emetic and cathartic. [Written also Senega root, and Seneka root.]

||Se*ne"ci*o (?), n. [L., groundsel, lit., an old man. So called in ||allusion to the hoary appearance of the pappus.] (Bot.) A very large ||genus of composite plants including the groundsel and the golden ||ragwort.

Se*nec"ti*tude (?), n. [L. senectus aged, old age, senex old.] Old age. [R.] "Senectitude, weary of its toils." H. Miller.

Sen"e*ga (?), n. (Med.) Seneca root.

Sen"e*gal (?), n. Gum senegal. See under Gum.

Sen"e*gin (?), n. (Med. Chem.) A substance extracted from the rootstock of the Polygala Senega (Seneca root), and probably identical with polygalic acid.

Se*nes"cence (?), n. [See Senescent.] The state of growing old; decay by time.

Se*nes"cent (?), a. [L. senescent, p. pr. of senescere to grow old, incho. fr. senere to be old.] Growing old; decaying with the lapse of time. "The night was senescent." Poe. "With too senescent air." Lowell.

Sen"es*chal (?), n. [OF. seneschal, LL. seniscalcus, of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. sineigs old, skalks, OHG. scalch, AS. scealc. Cf. Senior, Marshal.] An officer in the houses of princes and dignitaries, in the Middle Ages, who had the superintendence of feasts and domestic ceremonies; a steward. Sometimes the seneschal had the dispensing of justice, and was given high military commands.

Then marshaled feast Served up in hall with sewers and seneschale.

Milton.

Philip Augustus, by a famous ordinance in 1190, first established royal courts of justice, held by the officers called baitiffs, or seneschals, who acted as the king's lieutenants in his demains.

Hallam.

Sen"es*chal*ship, n. The office, dignity, or jurisdiction of a seneschal.

Senge (?), v. t. To singe. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sen"green (?), n.[AS. singr&?;ne, properly, evergreen, fr. sin (in composition) always + grëne green; akin to OHG. sin- ever, L. semper.] (Bot.) The houseleek.

Se"nile (?), a. [L. senilis, from senex, gen. senis, old, an old man: cf. F. sénile. See Senior.] Of or pertaining to old age; proceeding from, or characteristic of, old age; affected with the infirmities of old age; as, senile weakness. "Senile maturity of judgment." Boyle.

Senile gangrene (Med.), a form of gangrene occuring particularly in old people, and caused usually by insufficient blood supply due to degeneration of the walls of the smaller arteries.

Se*nil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. sénilité.] The quality or state of being senile; old age.

Sen"ior (?), a. [L. senior, compar. of senex, gen. senis, old. See Sir.] 1. More advanced than another in age; prior in age; elder; hence, more advanced in dignity, rank, or office; superior; as, senior member; senior counsel.

2. Belonging to the final year of the regular course in American colleges, or in professional schools.

Sen"ior, n. 1. A person who is older than another; one more advanced in life.

2. One older in office, or whose entrance upon office was anterior to that of another; one prior in grade.

3. An aged person; an older. Dryden.

Each village senior paused to scan, And speak the lovely caravan.

Emerson.

4. One in the fourth or final year of his collegiate course at an American college; -- originally called senior sophister; also, one in the last year of the course at a professional schools or at a seminary.

Sen*ior"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being senior.

Sen"ior*ize (?), v. i. To exercise authority; to rule; to lord it. [R.] Fairfax.

Sen"ior*y (?), n. Seniority. [Obs.] Shak.

Sen"na (?), n. [Cf. It. & Sp. sena, Pg. sene, F. séné; all fr. Ar. san.] 1. (Med.) The leaves of several leguminous plants of the genus Cassia. (C. acutifolia, C. angustifolia, etc.). They constitute a valuable but nauseous cathartic medicine.

2. (Bot.) The plants themselves, native to the East, but now cultivated largely in the south of Europe and in the West Indies.

Bladder senna. (Bot.) See under Bladder. -- Wild senna (Bot.), the Cassia Marilandica, growing in the United States, the leaves of which are used medicinally, like those of the officinal senna.

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Sen"na*chy (?), n. See Seannachie.

Sen"net (?), n. [Properly, a sign given for the entrance or exit of actors, from OF. sinet, signet, dim. of signe. See Signet.] A signal call on a trumpet or cornet for entrance or exit on the stage. [Obs.]

Sen"net, n. (Zoöl.) The barracuda.

Sen"night (?), n. [Contr. fr. sevennight.] The space of seven nights and days; a week. [Written also se'nnight.] [Archaic.] Shak. Tennyson.

Sen"nit (?), n. [Seven + knit.] 1. (Naut.) A braided cord or fabric formed by plaiting together rope yarns or other small stuff.

2. Plaited straw or palm leaves for making hats.

Se*noc"u*lar (?), a. [L. seni six each (fr. sex six) + oculus eye.] Having six eyes. [R.] Derham.

Se*no"ni*an (?), a. [F. sénonien, from the district of Sénonais, in France.] (Geol.) In european geology, a name given to the middle division of the Upper Cretaceous formation.

||Se*ñor" (?), n. [Sp. Cf. Senior.] A Spanish title of courtesy ||corresponding to the English Mr. or Sir; also, a gentleman.

||Se*ño"ra (?), n. [Sp.] A Spanish title of courtesy given to a lady; ||Mrs.; Madam; also, a lady.

||Se`ño*ri"ta (?), n. [Sp.] A Spanish title of courtesy given to a ||young lady; Miss; also, a young lady.

Sens (?), adv. [See Since.] Since. [Obs.] Spenser.

Sen"sate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sensated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sensating.] [See Sensated.] To feel or apprehend more or less distinctly through a sense, or the senses; as, to sensate light, or an odor.

As those of the one are sensated by the ear, so those of the other are by the eye.

R. Hooke.

{ Sen"sate (?), Sen"sa*ted (?), } a. [L. sensatus gifted with sense, intelligent, fr. sensus sense. See Sense.] Felt or apprehended through a sense, or the senses. [R.] Baxter.

Sen*sa"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. sensation. See Sensate.] 1. (Physiol.) An impression, or the consciousness of an impression, made upon the central nervous organ, through the medium of a sensory or afferent nerve or one of the organs of sense; a feeling, or state of consciousness, whether agreeable or disagreeable, produced either by an external object (stimulus), or by some change in the internal state of the body.

Perception is only a special kind of knowledge, and sensation a special kind of feeling. . . . Knowledge and feeling, perception and sensation, though always coexistent, are always in the inverse ratio of each other.

Sir W. Hamilton.

2. A purely spiritual or psychical affection; agreeable or disagreeable feelings occasioned by objects that are not corporeal or material.

3. A state of excited interest or feeling, or that which causes it.

The sensation caused by the appearance of that work is still remembered by many.

Brougham.

Syn. -- Perception. -- Sensation, Perseption. The distinction between these words, when used in mental philosophy, may be thus stated; if I simply smell a rose, I have a sensation; if I refer that smell to the external object which occasioned it, I have a perception. Thus, the former is mere feeling, without the idea of an object; the latter is the mind's apprehension of some external object as occasioning that feeling. "Sensation properly expresses that change in the state of the mind which is produced by an impression upon an organ of sense (of which change we can conceive the mind to be conscious, without any knowledge of external objects). Perception, on the other hand, expresses the knowledge or the intimations we obtain by means of our sensations concerning the qualities of matter, and consequently involves, in every instance, the notion of externality, or outness, which it is necessary to exclude in order to seize the precise import of the word sensation." Fleming.

Sen*sa"tion*al (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to sensation; as, sensational nerves.

2. Of or pertaining to sensationalism, or the doctrine that sensation is the sole origin of knowledge.

3. Suited or intended to excite temporarily great interest or emotion; melodramatic; emotional; as, sensational plays or novels; sensational preaching; sensational journalism; a sensational report.

Sen*sa"tion*al*ism (?), n. 1. (Metaph.) The doctrine held by Condillac, and by some ascribed to Locke, that our ideas originate solely in sensation, and consist of sensations transformed; sensualism; -- opposed to intuitionalism, and rationalism.

2. The practice or methods of sensational writing or speaking; as, the sensationalism of a novel.

Sen*sa"tion*al*ist, n. 1. (Metaph.) An advocate of, or believer in, philosophical sensationalism.

2. One who practices sensational writing or speaking.

Sense (sns), n. [L. sensus, from sentire, sensum, to perceive, to feel, from the same root as E. send; cf. OHG. sin sense, mind, sinnan to go, to journey, G. sinnen to meditate, to think: cf. F. sens. For the change of meaning cf. See, v. t. See Send, and cf. Assent, Consent, Scent, v. t., Sentence, Sentient.] 1. (Physiol.) A faculty, possessed by animals, of perceiving external objects by means of impressions made upon certain organs (sensory or sense organs) of the body, or of perceiving changes in the condition of the body; as, the senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. See Muscular sense, under Muscular, and Temperature sense, under Temperature.

Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.

Shak.

What surmounts the reach Of human sense I shall delineate.

Milton.

The traitor Sense recalls The soaring soul from rest.

Keble.

2. Perception by the sensory organs of the body; sensation; sensibility; feeling.

In a living creature, though never so great, the sense and the affects of any one part of the body instantly make a transcursion through the whole.

Bacon.

3. Perception through the intellect; apprehension; recognition; understanding; discernment; appreciation.

This Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover.

Sir P. Sidney.

High disdain from sense of injured merit.

Milton.

4. Sound perception and reasoning; correct judgment; good mental capacity; understanding; also, that which is sound, true, or reasonable; rational meaning. "He speaks sense." Shak.

He raves; his words are loose As heaps of sand, and scattering wide from sense.

Dryden.

5. That which is felt or is held as a sentiment, view, or opinion; judgment; notion; opinion.

I speak my private but impartial sense With freedom.

Roscommon.

The municipal council of the city had ceased to speak the sense of the citizens.

Macaulay.

6. Meaning; import; signification; as, the true sense of words or phrases; the sense of a remark.

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense.

Neh. viii. 8.

I think 't was in another sense.

Shak.

7. Moral perception or appreciation.

Some are so hardened in wickedness as to have no sense of the most friendly offices.

L' Estrange.

8. (Geom.) One of two opposite directions in which a line, surface, or volume, may be supposed to be described by the motion of a point, line, or surface.

Common sense, according to Sir W. Hamilton: (a) "The complement of those cognitions or convictions which we receive from nature, which all men possess in common, and by which they test the truth of knowledge and the morality of actions." (b) "The faculty of first principles." These two are the philosophical significations. (c) "Such ordinary complement of intelligence, that,if a person be deficient therein, he is accounted mad or foolish." (d) When the substantive is emphasized: "Native practical intelligence, natural prudence, mother wit, tact in behavior, acuteness in the observation of character, in contrast to habits of acquired learning or of speculation." -- Moral sense. See under Moral, (a). -- The inner, or internal, sense, capacity of the mind to be aware of its own states; consciousness; reflection. "This source of ideas every man has wholly in himself, and though it be not sense, as having nothing to do with external objects, yet it is very like it, and might properly enough be called internal sense." Locke. -- Sense capsule (Anat.), one of the cartilaginous or bony cavities which inclose, more or less completely, the organs of smell, sight, and hearing. -- Sense organ (Physiol.), a specially irritable mechanism by which some one natural force or form of energy is enabled to excite sensory nerves; as the eye, ear, an end bulb or tactile corpuscle, etc. - - Sense organule (Anat.), one of the modified epithelial cells in or near which the fibers of the sensory nerves terminate.

Syn. -- Understanding; reason. -- Sense, Understanding, Reason. Some philosophers have given a technical signification to these terms, which may here be stated. Sense is the mind's acting in the direct cognition either of material objects or of its own mental states. In the first case it is called the outer, in the second the inner, sense. Understanding is the logical faculty, i. e., the power of apprehending under general conceptions, or the power of classifying, arranging, and making deductions. Reason is the power of apprehending those first or fundamental truths or principles which are the conditions of all real and scientific knowledge, and which control the mind in all its processes of investigation and deduction. These distinctions are given, not as established, but simply because they often occur in writers of the present day.

Sense (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sensed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sensing.] To perceive by the senses; to recognize. [Obs. or Colloq.]

Is he sure that objects are not otherwise sensed by others than they are by him?

Glanvill.

Sense"ful (?), a. Full of sense, meaning, or reason; reasonable; judicious. [R.] "Senseful speech." Spenser. "Men, otherwise senseful and ingenious." Norris.

Sense"less, a. Destitute of, deficient in, or contrary to, sense; without sensibility or feeling; unconscious; stupid; foolish; unwise; unreasonable.

You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things.

Shak.

The ears are senseless that should give us hearing.

Shak.

The senseless grave feels not your pious sorrows.

Rowe.

They were a senseless, stupid race.

Swift.

They would repent this their senseless perverseness when it would be too late.

Clarendon.

--- Sense"less*ly, adv. -- Sense"less*ness, n.

Sen`si*bil"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Sensibilities (#). [Cf. F. sensibilité, LL. sensibilitas.] 1. (Physiol.) The quality or state of being sensible, or capable of sensation; capacity to feel or perceive.

2. The capacity of emotion or feeling, as distinguished from the intellect and the will; peculiar susceptibility of impression, pleasurable or painful; delicacy of feeling; quick emotion or sympathy; as, sensibility to pleasure or pain; sensibility to shame or praise; exquisite sensibility; - - often used in the plural. "Sensibilities so fine!" Cowper.

The true lawgiver ought to have a heart full of sensibility.

Burke.

His sensibilities seem rather to have been those of patriotism than of wounded pride.

Marshall.

3. Experience of sensation; actual feeling.

This adds greatly to my sensibility.

Burke.

4. That quality of an instrument which makes it indicate very slight changes of condition; delicacy; as, the sensibility of a balance, or of a thermometer.

Syn. -- Taste; susceptibility; feeling. See Taste.

Sen"si*ble (?), a. [F., fr. L. sensibilis, fr. sensus sense.] 1. Capable of being perceived by the senses; apprehensible through the bodily organs; hence, also, perceptible to the mind; making an impression upon the sense, reason, or understanding; &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; heat; sensible resistance.

Air is sensible to the touch by its motion.

Arbuthnot.

The disgrace was more sensible than the pain.

Sir W. Temple.

Any very sensible effect upon the prices of things.

A. Smith.

2. Having the capacity of receiving impressions from external objects; capable of perceiving by the instrumentality of the proper organs; liable to be affected physsically or mentally; impressible.

Would your cambric were sensible as your finger.

Shak.

3. Hence: Liable to impression from without; easily affected; having nice perception or acute feeling; sensitive; also, readily moved or affected by natural agents; delicate; as, a sensible thermometer. "With affection wondrous sensible." Shak.

4. Perceiving or having perception, either by the senses or the mind; cognizant; perceiving so clearly as to be convinced; satisfied; persuaded.

He [man] can not think at any time, waking or sleeping, without being sensible of it.

Locke.

They are now sensible it would have been better to comply than to refuse.

Addison.

5. Having moral perception; capable of being affected by moral good or evil.

6. Possessing or containing sense or reason; giftedwith, or characterized by, good or common sense; intelligent; wise.

Now a sensible man, by and by a fool.

Shak.

Sensible note or tone (Mus.), the major seventh note of any scale; -- so called because, being but a half step below the octave, or key tone, and naturally leading up to that, it makes the ear sensible of its approaching sound. Called also the leading tone. -- Sensible horizon. See Horizon, n., 2. (a).

Syn. -- Intelligent; wise. -- Sensible, Intelligent. We call a man sensible whose judgments and conduct are marked and governed by sound judgment or good common semse. We call one intelligent who is quick and clear in his understanding, i. e., who discriminates readily and nicely in respect to difficult and important distinction. The sphere of the sensible man lies in matters of practical concern; of the intelligent man, in subjects of intellectual interest. "I have been tired with accounts from sensible men, furnished with matters of fact which have happened within their own knowledge." Addison. "Trace out numerous footsteps . . . of a most wise and intelligent architect throughout all this stupendous fabric." Woodward.

Sen"si*ble (?), n. 1. Sensation; sensibility. [R.] "Our temper changed . . . which must needs remove the sensible of pain." Milton.

2. That which impresses itself on the sense; anything perceptible.

Aristotle distinguished sensibles into common and proper.

Krauth-Fleming.

3. That which has sensibility; a sensitive being. [R.]

This melancholy extends itself not to men only, but even to vegetals and sensibles.

Burton.

Sen"si*ble*ness, n. 1. The quality or state of being sensible; sensibility; appreciation; capacity of perception; susceptibility. "The sensibleness of the eye." Sharp. "Sensibleness and sorrow for sin." Hammond.

The sensibleness of the divine presence.

Hallywell.

2. Intelligence; reasonableness; good sense.

Sen"si*bly, adv. 1. In a sensible manner; so as to be perceptible to the senses or to the mind; appreciably; with perception; susceptibly; sensitively.

What remains past cure, Bear not too sensibly.

Milton.

2. With intelligence or good sense; judiciously.

Sen`si*fa"cient (?), a. [L. sensus sense + facere to make.] Converting into sensation. Huxley.

Sen*sif"er*ous (?), a. [L. sensifer; sensus sense + ferre to bear.] Exciting sensation; conveying sensation. Huxley.

Sen*sif"ic (?), a. [L. sensificus; sensus sense + facere to make.] Exciting sensation.

Sen*sif"i*ca*to*ry (?), a. Susceptible of, or converting into, sensation; as, the sensificatory part of a nervous system. Huxley.

Sen*sig"e*nous (?), a. [L. sensus sense + -genous.] Causing or exciting sensation. Huxley.

Sens"ism (?), n. Same as Sensualism, 2 & 3.

Sens"ist, n. One who, in philosophy, holds to sensism.

Sen"si*tive (?), a. [F. sensitif. See Sense.] 1. Having sense of feeling; possessing or exhibiting the capacity of receiving impressions from external objects; as, a sensitive soul.

2. Having quick and acute sensibility, either to the action of external objects, or to impressions upon the mind and feelings; highly susceptible; easily and acutely affected.

She was too sensitive to abuse and calumny.

Macaulay.

3. (a) (Mech.) Having a capacity of being easily affected or moved; as, a sensitive thermometer; sensitive scales. (b) (Chem. & Photog.) Readily affected or changed by certain appropriate agents; as, silver chloride or bromide, when in contact with certain organic substances, is extremely sensitive to actinic rays.

4. Serving to affect the sense; sensible. [R.]

A sensitive love of some sensitive objects.

Hammond.

5. Of or pertaining to sensation; depending on sensation; as, sensitive motions; sensitive muscular motions excited by irritation. E. Darwin.

Sensitive fern (Bot.), an American fern (Onoclea sensibilis), the leaves of which, when plucked, show a slight tendency to fold together. -- Sensitive flame (Physics), a gas flame so arranged that under a suitable adjustment of pressure it is exceedingly sensitive to sounds, being caused to roar, flare, or become suddenly shortened or extinguished, by slight sounds of the proper pitch. -- Sensitive joint vetch (Bot.), an annual leguminous herb (Æschynomene hispida), with sensitive foliage. -- Sensitive paper, paper prepared for photographic purpose by being rendered sensitive to the effect of light. -- Sensitive plant. (Bot.) (a) A leguminous plant (Mimosa pudica, or M. sensitiva, and other allied species), the leaves of which close at the slightest touch. (b) Any plant showing motions after irritation, as the sensitive brier (Schrankia) of the Southern States, two common American species of Cassia (C. nictitans, and C. Chamæcrista), a kind of sorrel (Oxalis sensitiva), etc.

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-- Sen"si*tive*ly (#), adv. -- Sen"si*tive*ness, n.

Sen`si*tiv"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being sensitive; -- used chiefly in science and the arts; as, the sensitivity of iodized silver.

Sensitivity and emotivity have also been used as the scientific term for the capacity of feeling.

Hickok.

Sen"si*tize (?), v. t. (Photog.) To render sensitive, or susceptible of being easily acted on by the actinic rays of the sun; as, sensitized paper or plate.

Sen"si*ti`zer (?), n. (Photog.) An agent that sensitizes.

The sensitizer should be poured on the middle of the sheet.

Wilis & Clements (The Platinotype).

Sen"si*to*ry (?), n. See Sensory.

Sens"ive (?), a. Having sense or sensibility; sensitive. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

Sen"sor (?), a. Sensory; as, the sensor nerves.

Sen*so"ri*al (?), a. [Cf. F. sensorial. See Sensorium.] Of or pertaining to the sensorium; as, sensorial faculties, motions, powers. A. Tucker.

Sen*so"ri*um (?), n.; pl. E. Sensoriums (#), L. Sensoria (#). [L., fr. sentire, sensum, to discern or perceive by the senses.] (Physiol.) The seat of sensation; the nervous center or centers to which impressions from the external world must be conveyed before they can be perceived; the place where external impressions are localized, and transformed into sensations, prior to being reflected to other parts of the organism; hence, the whole nervous system, when animated, so far as it is susceptible of common or special sensations.

Sen*so`ri-vo*li"tion*al (?), a. (Physiol.) Concerned both in sensation and volition; -- applied to those nerve fibers which pass to and from the cerebro- spinal axis, and are respectively concerned in sensation and volition. Dunglison.

Sen"so*ry (?), n.; pl. Sensories (&?;). (Physiol.) Same as Sensorium.

Sen"so*ry, a. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the sensorium or sensation; as, sensory impulses; -- especially applied to those nerves and nerve fibers which convey to a nerve center impulses resulting in sensation; also sometimes loosely employed in the sense of afferent, to indicate nerve fibers which convey impressions of any kind to a nerve center.

Sen"su*al (?), a. [L. sensualis, from sensus sense: cf. F. sensuel.] 1. Pertaining to, consisting in, or affecting, the sense, or bodily organs of perception; relating to, or concerning, the body, in distinction from the spirit.

Pleasing and sensual rites and ceremonies.

Bacon.

Far as creation's ample range extends, The scale of sensual, mental powers ascends.

Pope.

2. Hence, not spiritual or intellectual; carnal; fleshly; pertaining to, or consisting in, the gratification of the senses, or the indulgence of appetites; wordly.

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Jude 19.

The greatest part of men are such as prefer . . . that good which is sensual before whatsoever is most divine.

Hooker.

3. Devoted to the pleasures of sense and appetite; luxurious; voluptuous; lewd; libidinous.

No small part of virtue consists in abstaining from that wherein sensual men place their felicity.

Atterbury.

4. Pertaining or peculiar to the philosophical doctrine of sensualism.

Sen"su*al*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. sensualisme.] 1. The condition or character of one who is sensual; subjection to sensual feelings and appetite; sensuality.

2. (Philos.) The doctrine that all our ideas, or the operations of the understanding, not only originate in sensation, but are transformed sensations, copies or relics of sensations; sensationalism; sensism.

3. (Ethics) The regarding of the gratification of the senses as the highest good. Krauth- Fleming.

Sen"su*al*ist, n. [CF. F. sensualiste.] 1. One who is sensual; one given to the indulgence of the appetites or senses as the means of happiness.

2. One who holds to the doctrine of sensualism.

Sen`su*al*is"tic (?), a. 1. Sensual.

2. Adopting or teaching the doctrines of sensualism.

Sen`su*al"i*ty (?), n. [CF. F. sensualité, L. sensualitas sensibility, capacity for sensation.] The quality or state of being sensual; devotedness to the gratification of the bodily appetites; free indulgence in carnal or sensual pleasures; luxuriousness; voluptuousness; lewdness.

Those pampered animals That rage in savage sensuality.

Shak.

They avoid dress, lest they should have affections tainted by any sensuality.

Addison.

Sen`su*al*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of sensualizing, or the state of being sensualized.

Sen"su*al*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sensualized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sensualizing (?).] To make sensual; to subject to the love of sensual pleasure; to debase by carnal gratifications; to carnalize; as, sensualized by pleasure. Pope.

By the neglect of prayer, the thoughts are sensualized.

T. H. Skinner.

Sen"su*al*ly, adv. In a sensual manner.

Sen"su*al*ness, n. Sensuality; fleshliness.

Sen"su*ism (?), n. Sensualism.

Sen`su*os"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being sensuous; sensuousness. [R.]

Sen"su*ous (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to the senses, or sensible objects; addressing the senses; suggesting pictures or images of sense.

To this poetry would be made precedent, as being less subtle and fine, but more simple, sensuous, and passionate.

Milton.

2. Highly susceptible to influence through the senses.

-- Sen"su*ous*ly (#), adv. -- Sen"su*ous*ness, n.

Sent (?), v. & n. See Scent, v. & n. [Obs.] Spenser.

Sent, obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Send, for sendeth.

Sent, imp. & p. p. of Send.

Sen"tence (?), n. [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.] 1. Sense; meaning; significance. [Obs.]

Tales of best sentence and most solace.

Chaucer.

The discourse itself, voluble enough, and full of sentence.

Milton.

2. (a) An opinion; a decision; a determination; a judgment, especially one of an unfavorable nature.

My sentence is for open war.

Milton.

That by them [Luther's works] we may pass sentence upon his doctrines.

Atterbury.

(b) A philosophical or theological opinion; a dogma; as, Summary of the Sentences; Book of the Sentences.

3. (Law) In civil and admiralty law, the judgment of a court pronounced in a cause; in criminal and ecclesiastical courts, a judgment passed on a criminal by a court or judge; condemnation pronounced by a judgical tribunal; doom. In common law, the term is exclusively used to denote the judgment in criminal cases.

Received the sentence of the law.

Shak.

4. A short saying, usually containing moral instruction; a maxim; an axiom; a saw. Broome.

5. (Gram.) A combination of words which is complete as expressing a thought, and in writing is marked at the close by a period, or full point. See Proposition, 4.

Sentences are simple or compound. A simple sentence consists of one subject and one finite verb; as, "The Lord reigns." A compound sentence contains two or more subjects and finite verbs, as in this verse: -

He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all.

Pope.

Dark sentence, a saving not easily explained.

A king . . . understanding dark sentences.

Dan. vii. 23.

Sen"tence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sentenced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sentencing (?).] 1. To pass or pronounce judgment upon; to doom; to condemn to punishment; to prescribe the punishment of.

Nature herself is sentenced in your doom.

Dryden.

2. To decree or announce as a sentence. [Obs.] Shak.

3. To utter sententiously. [Obs.] Feltham.

Sen"ten*cer (?), n. One who pronounced a sentence or condemnation.

sen*ten"tial (?), a. 1. Comprising sentences; as, a sentential translation. Abp. Newcome.

2. Of or pertaining to a sentence, or full period; as, a sentential pause.

Sen*ten"tial*ly, adv. In a sentential manner.

Sen*ten"ti*a*rist (?), n. A sententiary. Barnas Sears (Life of Luther).

Sen*ten"ti*ary (?), n. [LL. sententiarius.] One who read lectures, or commented, on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris (1159-1160), a school divine. R. Henry.

Sen*ten`ti*os"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being sententious. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Sen*ten"tious (?), a.[L. sentenciosus: cf. F. sentencieux.] 1. Abounding with sentences, axioms, and maxims; full of meaning; terse and energetic in expression; pithy; as, a sententious style or discourse; sententious truth.

How he apes his sire, Ambitiously sententious!

Addison.

2. Comprising or representing sentences; sentential. [Obs.] "Sententious marks." Grew.

--- Sen*ten"tious*ly, adv. -- Sen*ten"tious*ness, n.

Sen"ter*y (?), n. A sentry. [Obs.] Milton.

Sen"teur (?), n. [F.] Scent. [Obs.] Holland.

{ Sen"ti*ence (?), Sen"ti*en*cy (?), } n. [See Sentient, Sentence.] The quality or state of being sentient; esp., the quality or state of having sensation. G. H. Lewes

An example of harmonious action between the intelligence and the sentieny of the mind.

Earle.

Sen"ti*ent (?), a. [L. sentiens, -entis, p. pr. of sentire to discern or perceive by the senses. See Sense.] Having a faculty, or faculties, of sensation and perception. Specif. (Physiol.), especially sensitive; as, the sentient extremities of nerves, which terminate in the various organs or tissues.

Sen"ti*ent, n. One who has the faculty of perception; a sentient being.

Sen"ti*ent*ly, adv. In a sentient or perceptive way.

Sen"ti*ment (?), n. [OE. sentement, OF. sentement, F. sentiment, fr. L. sentire to perceive by the senses and mind, to feel, to think. See Sentient, a.] 1. A thought prompted by passion or feeling; a state of mind in view of some subject; feeling toward or respecting some person or thing; disposition prompting to action or expression.

The word sentiment, agreeably to the use made of it by our best English writers, expresses, in my own opinion very happily, those complex determinations of the mind which result from the coöperation of our rational powers and of our moral feelings.

Stewart.

Alike to council or the assembly came, With equal souls and sentiments the same.

Pope.

2. Hence, generally, a decision of the mind formed by deliberation or reasoning; thought; opinion; notion; judgment; as, to express one's sentiments on a subject.

Sentiments of philosophers about the perception of external objects.

Reid.

Sentiment, as here and elsewhere employed by Reid in the meaning of opinion (sententia), is not to be imitated.

Sir W. Hamilton.

3. A sentence, or passage, considered as the expression of a thought; a maxim; a saying; a toast.

4. Sensibility; feeling; tender susceptibility.

Mr. Hume sometimes employs (after the manner of the French metaphysicians) sentiment as synonymous with feeling; a use of the word quite unprecedented in our tongue.

Stewart.

Less of sentiment than sense.

Tennyson.

Syn. -- Thought; opinion; notion; sensibility; feeling. -- Sentiment, Opinion, Feeling. An opinion is an intellectual judgment in respect to any and every kind of truth. Feeling describes those affections of pleasure and pain which spring from the exercise of our sentient and emotional powers. Sentiment (particularly in the plural) lies between them, denoting settled opinions or principles in regard to subjects which interest the feelings strongly, and are presented more or less constantly in practical life. Hence, it is more appropriate to speak of our religious sentiments than opinions, unless we mean to exclude all reference to our feelings. The word sentiment, in the singular, leans ordinarily more to the side of feeling, and denotes a refined sensibility on subjects affecting the heart. "On questions of feeling, taste, observation, or report, we define our sentiments. On questions of science, argument, or metaphysical abstraction, we define our opinions. The sentiments of the heart. The opinions of the mind . . . There is more of instinct in sentiment, and more of definition in opinion. The admiration of a work of art which results from first impressions is classed with our sentiments; and, when we have accounted to ourselves for the approbation, it is classed with our opinions." W. Taylor.

Sen`ti*men"tal (?), a. [Cf. F. sentimental.] 1. Having, expressing, or containing a sentiment or sentiments; abounding with moral reflections; containing a moral reflection; didactic. [Obsoles.]

Nay, ev'n each moral sentimental stroke, Where not the character, but poet, spoke, He lopped, as foreign to his chaste design, Nor spared a useless, though a golden line.

Whitehead.

2. Inclined to sentiment; having an excess of sentiment or sensibility; indulging the sensibilities for their own sake; artificially or affectedly tender; -- often in a reproachful sense.

A sentimental mind is rather prone to overwrought feeling and exaggerated tenderness.

Whately.

3. Addressed or pleasing to the emotions only, usually to the weaker and the unregulated emotions.

Syn. -- Romantic. -- Sentimental, Romantic. Sentimental usually describes an error or excess of the sensibilities; romantic, a vice of the imagination. The votary of the former gives indulgence to his sensibilities for the mere luxury of their excitement; the votary of the latter allows his imagination to rove for the pleasure of creating scenes of ideal enjoiment. "Perhaps there is no less danger in works called sentimental. They attack the heart more successfully, because more cautiously." V. Knox. "I can not but look on an indifferency of mind, as to the good or evil things of this life, as a mere romantic fancy of such who would be thought to be much wiser than they ever were, or could be." Bp. Stillingfleet.

Sen`ti*men"tal*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. sentimentalisme.] The quality of being sentimental; the character or behavior of a sentimentalist; sentimentality.

Sen`ti*men"tal*ist, n. [Cf. F. sentimentaliste.] One who has, or affects, sentiment or fine feeling.

Sen`ti*men*tal"i*ty (?), n. [CF. F. sentimentalité.] The quality or state of being sentimental.

Sen`ti*men"tal*ize (?), v. t. To regard in a sentimental manner; as, to sentimentalize a subject.

Sen`ti*men"tal*ize, v. i. To think or act in a sentimental manner, or like a sentimentalist; to affect exquisite sensibility. C. Kingsley.

Sen`ti*men"tal*ly, adv. In a sentimental manner.

Sen"tine (?), n. [L. sentina bilge water, hold of a ship, dregs: cf. F. sentine.] A place for dregs and dirt; a sink; a sewer. [Obs.] Latimer.

Sen"ti*nel, n. [F. sentinelle (cf. It. sentinella); probably originally, a litle path, the sentinel's beat,, and a dim. of a word meaning, path; cf. F. sente path. L. semita; and OF. sentine, sentele, senteret, diminutive words. Cf. Sentry.] 1. One who watches or guards; specifically (Mil.), a soldier set to guard an army, camp, or other place, from surprise, to observe the approach of danger, and give notice of it; a sentry.

The sentinels who paced the ramparts.

Macaulay.

2. Watch; guard. [Obs.] "That princes do keep due sentinel." Bacon.

3. (Zoöl.) A marine crab (Podophthalmus vigil) native of the Indian Ocean, remarkable for the great length of its eyestalks; -- called also sentinel crab.

Sen"ti*nel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sentineled (?) or Sentinelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Sentineling or Sentinelling.] 1. To watch over like a sentinel. "To sentinel enchanted land." [R.] Sir W. Scott.

2. To furnish with a sentinel; to place under the guard of a sentinel or sentinels.

Sen`ti*sec"tion (?), n. [L. sentire to feel + E. section.] Painful vivisection; -- opposed to callisection. B. G. Wilder.

Sen"try (?), n.; pl. Sentires (#). [Probably from OF. senteret a little patch; cf. F. sentier path, and OF. sente. See Sentinel.] 1. (Mil.) A soldier placed on guard; a sentinel.

2. Guard; watch, as by a sentinel.

Here toils, and death, and death's half-brother, sleep, Forms terrible to view, their sentry keep.

Dryden.

Sentry box, a small house or box to cover a sentinel at his post, and shelter him from the weather.

||Sen"za (?), prep. [It.] (Mus.) Without; as, senza stromenti, without ||instruments.

Se"pal (?), n. [NL. sepalum, formed in imitation of NL. petalum, petal, to denote one of the divisions of the calyx: cf. F. sépale.] (Bot.) A leaf or division of the calyx.

When the calyx consists of but one part, it is said to be monosepalous; when of two parts, it is said to be disepalous; when of a variable and indefinite number of parts, it is said to be polysepalous; when of several parts united, it is properly called gamosepalous.

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Se"paled (?), a. (Bot.) Having one or more sepals.

Sep"al*ine (?), a. (Bot.) Relating to, or having the nature of, sepals.

Se*pal"o*dy (?), n. [Sepal + Gr. &?;&?;&?; form.] (Bot.) The metamorphosis of other floral organs into sepals or sepaloid bodies.

Sep"al*oid (?), a. [Sepal + - oid.] (Bot.) Like a sepal, or a division of a calyx.

Sep"al*ous (?), a. (Bot.) Having, or relating to, sepals; -- used mostly in composition. See under Sepal.

Sep`a*ra*bil"i*ty (?), n. Quality of being separable or divisible; divisibility; separableness.

Sep"a*ra*ble (?), a. [L. separabilis: cf. F. séparable.] Capable of being separated, disjoined, disunited, or divided; as, the separable parts of plants; qualities not separable from the substance in which they exist. -- Sep"a*ra*ble*ness, n. -- Sep"a*ra*bly, adv.

Trials permit me not to doubt of the separableness of a yellow tincture from gold.

Boyle.

Sep"a*rate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Separated (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Separating.] [L. separatus, p. p. of separare to separate; pfref. se- aside + parare to make ready, prepare. See Parade, and cf. Sever.] 1. To disunite; to divide; to disconnect; to sever; to part in any manner.

From the fine gold I separate the alloy.

Dryden.

Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me.

Gen. xiii. 9.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Rom. viii. 35.

2. To come between; to keep apart by occupying the space between; to lie between; as, the Mediterranean Sea separates Europe and Africa.

3. To set apart; to select from among others, as for a special use or service.

Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called thaem.

Acts xiii. 2.

Separated flowers (Bot.), flowers which have stamens and pistils in separate flowers; diclinous flowers. Gray.

Sep"a*rate, v. i. To part; to become disunited; to be disconnected; to withdraw from one another; as, the family separated.

Sep"a*rate (?), p. a. [L. separatus, p. p. ] 1. Divided from another or others; disjoined; disconnected; separated; -- said of things once connected.

Him that was separate from his brethren.

Gen. xlix. 26.

2. Unconnected; not united or associated; distinct; -- said of things that have not been connected.

For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinnere.

Heb. vii. 26.

3. Disunited from the body; disembodied; as, a separate spirit; the separate state of souls.

Separate estate (Law), an estate limited to a married woman independent of her husband. -- Separate maintenance (Law), an allowance made to a wife by her husband under deed of separation.

-- Sep"a*rate*ly, adv. -- Sep"a*rate*ness, n.

Sep`a*rat"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to separatism in religion; schismatical. [R.] Dr. T. Dwight.

Sep"a*ra`ting (?), a. Designed or employed to separate.

Separating funnel (Chem.), a funnel, often globe-shaped, provided with a stopcock for the separate drawing off of immiscible liquids of different specific gravities.

Sep`a*ra"tion (?), n. [L. separatio: cf. F. séparation.] The act of separating, or the state of being separated, or separate. Specifically: (a) Chemical analysis. (b) Divorce. (c) (Steam Boilers) The operation of removing water from steam.

Judicial separation (Law), a form of divorce; a separation of man and wife which has the effect of making each a single person for all legal purposes but without ability to contract a new marriage. Mozley & W.

Sep"a*ra*tism (?), n. [CF. F. séparatisme.] The character or act of a separatist; disposition to withdraw from a church; the practice of so withdrawing.

Sep`a*ra*tist (?), n. [Cf. F. séparatiste.] One who withdraws or separates himself; especially, one who withdraws from a church to which he has belonged; a seceder from an established church; a dissenter; a nonconformist; a schismatic; a sectary.

Heavy fines on divines who should preach in any meeting of separatist .

Macaulay.

Sep`a*ra*tis"tic (?), a. Of or pertaining to separatists; characterizing separatists; schismatical.

Sep"a*ra*tive (?), a. [L. separativus.] Causing, or being to cause, separation. "Separative virtue of extreme cold." Boyle.

Sep"a*ra`tor (?), n. [L.] One who, or that which, separates. Specifically: (a) (Steam Boilers) A device for depriving steam of particles of water mixed with it. (b) (Mining) An apparatus for sorting pulverized ores into grades, or separating them from gangue. (c) (Weaving) An instrument used for spreading apart the threads of the warp in the loom, etc.

Sep"a*ra*to*ry (?), a. Separative. Cheyne.

Sep"a*ra*to*ry, n. [Cf. F. séparatoire.] 1. (Chem.) An apparatus used in separating, as a separating funnel.

2. (Surg.) A surgical instrument for separating the pericranium from the cranium. [Obs.]

Sep`a*ra"trix (?), n.; pl. L. -trices (#), E. -trixes (#). [L., she that separates.] (Arith.) The decimal point; the dot placed at the left of a decimal fraction, to separate it from the whole number which it follows. The term is sometimes also applied to other marks of separation.

Se*pawn" (?), n. See Supawn. [Local, U.S.]

Sep"e*li*ble (?), a. [L. sepelibilis, fr. sepelire to bury.] Admitting of burial. [Obs.] Bailey.

Sep`e*li"tion (?), n. Burial. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

Se"phen (?), n. (Zoöl.) A large sting ray of the genus Trygon, especially T. sephen of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The skin is an article of commerce.

Se"pi*a (?), n.; pl. E. Sepias (#), L. Sepiæ (#). [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?; the cuttlefish, or squid.] 1. (Zoöl.) (a) The common European cuttlefish. (b) A genus comprising the common cuttlefish and numerous similar species. See Illustr. under Cuttlefish.

2. A pigment prepared from the ink, or black secretion, of the sepia, or cuttlefish. Treated with caustic potash, it has a rich brown color; and this mixed with a red forms Roman sepia. Cf. India ink, under India.

Sepia drawing or picture, a drawing in monochrome, made in sepia alone, or in sepia with other brown pigments.

Se"pi*a, a. Of a dark brown color, with a little red in its composition; also, made of, or done in, sepia.

Se"pic (?), a. Of or pertaining to sepia; done in sepia; as, a sepic drawing.

Sep`i*da"ceous (?), a. (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to the cuttlefishes of the genus Sepia.

Sep"i*ment (?), n. [L. sepimentum, saepimentum, from sepire, saepire, to hedge in.] Something that separates; a hedge; a fence. [R.] Bailey.

Se"pi*o*lite` (?), n. [Septa + -lite.] (Min.) Meerschaum. See Meerschaum.

Se"pi*o*stare` (?), n. [Sepia + Gr. &?;&?;&?; a bone.] (Zoöl.) The bone or shell of cuttlefish. See Illust. under Cuttlefish.

Se*pon" (#), n. See Supawn. [Local, U.S.]

Se*pose" (?), v. t. [L. pref se- aside + E. pose.] To set apart. [Obs.] Donne.

Se*pos"it (?), v. t. [L. sepositus, p. p. of seponere to set aside.] To set aside; to give up. [Obs.]

Sep`o*si"tion (&?;), n. [L. sepositio.] The act of setting aside, or of giving up. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Se"poy (?), n. [Per. siph, fr. siph an army. Cf. Spahi.] A native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, esp. of Great Britain; an Oriental soldier disciplined in the European manner.

||Sep*pu"ku (?), n. Same as Hara-kiri.

Seppuku, or hara-kiri, also came into vogue.

W. E. Griffis.

Sep"sin (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; putrefaction.] (Physiol. Chem.) A soluble poison (ptomaine) present in putrid blood. It is also formed in the putrefaction of proteid matter in general.

||Sep"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?; putrefaction.] (Med.) The ||poisoning of the system by the introduction of putrescent material ||into the blood.

Sept (?), n. [A corruption of sect, n.] A clan, tribe, or family, proceeding from a common progenitor; -- used especially of the ancient clans in Ireland.

The chief, struck by the illustration, asked at once to be baptized, and all his sept followed his example.

S. Lover.

||Sep*tæ"mi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?; putrid + &?;&?;&?; ||blood.] (Med.) Septicæmia.

Sep"tal (?), a. Of or pertaining to a septum or septa, as of a coral or a shell.

Sep"tane (?), n. [L. septem seven.] (Chem.) See Heptane. [R.]

Sep"tan`gle (?), n. [Septi- + angle.] (Geom.) A figure which has seven angles; a heptagon. [R.]

Sep*tan"gu*lar (?), a. Heptagonal.

||Sep*ta"ri*um (?), n.;pl. Septaria (#). [NL., fr. L. septum, saeptum, ||an inclosure, a partition, fr. sepire, saepire, to inclose.] (Geol.) ||A flattened concretionary nodule, usually of limestone, intersected ||within by cracks which are often filled with calcite, barite, or ||other minerals.

Sep"tate (?), a. [L. septum, saeptum, partition.] Divided by partition or partitions; having septa; as, a septate pod or shell.

Sep*tem"ber (?), n. [L., fr. septem seven, as being the seventh month of the Roman year, which began with March: cf. F. septembre. See Seven.] The ninth month of the year, containing thurty days.

Sep*tem"ber*er (?), n. A Setembrist. Carlyle.

Sep*tem"brist (?), n. [F. septembriste.] An agent in the massacres in Paris, committed in patriotic frenzy, on the 22d of September, 1792.

Sep*tem"flu*ous (?), a.[L. septemfluus; septem seven + fluere to flow.] Flowing sevenfold; divided into seven streams or currents. [R.] Fuller.

Sep*tem"par*tite (?), a. [L. septem seven + E. partite.] Divided nearly to the base into seven parts; as, a septempartite leaf.

Sep*tem"tri*oun (?), n. Septentrion. [Obs.]

||Sep*tem"vir (?), n.; pl. E. Septemvirs (#), L. Septemviri (#). [L. ||septemviri, pl.; septem seven + viri, pl. of vir man.] (Rom. Hist.) ||One of a board of seven men associated in some office.

Sep*tem"vi*rate (?), n.[L. septemviratus.] The office of septemvir; a government by septimvirs.

Sep"ten*a*ry (?), a. [L. septenairus, from septeni seven each, septem seven: cf. F. septénaire. See Seven. ] 1. Consisting of, or relating to, seven; as, a septenary number. I. Watts.

2. Lasting seven years; continuing seven years. "Septenary penance." Fuller.

Sep"ten*a*ry, n. The number seven. [R.] Holinshed.

Sep"ten*ate (?), a. [L. septeni seven each.] (Bot.) Having parts in sevens; heptamerous.

Sep*ten"nate (?), n. [F. septennat.] A period of seven years; as, the septennate during which the President of the French Republic holds office.

Sep*ten"ni*al (?), a. [L. septennium a period of seven years; septem seven + annus year. See Seven, and Annual.] 1. Lasting or continuing seven years; as, septennial parliaments.

2. Happening or returning once in every seven years; as, septennial elections in England.

Sep*ten"ni*al*ly, adv. Once in seven years.

Sep*ten"tri*al (?), a. Septentrional. Drayton.

||Sep*ten"tri*o (?), n. [L. See Septentrion.] (Astron.) The ||constellation Ursa Major.

Sep*ten"tri*on (?), n. [L. septentrio the northern regions, the north, fr. septentriones the seven stars near the north pole, called Charles's Wain, or the Great Bear, also those called the Little Bear; properly, the seven plow oxen; septem seven + trio, orig., a plow ox: cf. F. septentrion.] The north or northern regions. Shak.

Both East West, South and Septentrioun.

Chaucer.

{ Sep*ten"tri*on (?), Sep*ten"tri*on*al (?), } a. [L. septentrionalis: cf. F. septentrional.] Of or pertaining to the north; northern. "From cold septentrion blasts." Milton.

Sep*ten`tri*on*al"i*ty (?), n. Northerliness.

Sep*ten"tri*on*al*ly (?), adv. Northerly.

Sep*ten"tri*on*ate (?), v. i. To tend or point toward the north; to north. Sir T. Browne.

{ Sep*tet", Sep*tette" } (?), n. [From L. septem seven, like duet, from L. duo.] 1. A set of seven persons or objects; as, a septet of singers.

2. (Mus.) A musical composition for seven instruments or seven voices; -- called also septuor.

Sept"foil (?), n. [F. sept seven (L. septem) + E. foil leaf: cf. L. septifolium.] 1. (Bot.) A European herb, the tormentil. See Tormentil.

2. (Arch.) An ornamental foliation having seven lobes. Cf. Cinquefoil, Quarterfoil, and Trefoil.

3. (Eccl.Art.) A typical figure, consisting of seven equal segments of a circle, used to denote the gifts of the Holy Chost, the seven sacraments as recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, etc. [R.]

Sep"ti- (?), [L. septem seven.] A combining form meaning seven; as, septifolious, seven-leaved; septi-lateral, seven-sided.

Sep"tic (?), a. [Septi- + - ic.] (Math.) Of the seventh degree or order. -- n. (Alg.) A quantic of the seventh degree.

{ Sep"tic (?), Sep"tic*al (?), } a. [L. septicus, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?; to make putrid: cf. F. septique.] Having power to promote putrefaction.

Sep"tic, n. A substance that promotes putrefaction.

||Sep`ti*cæ"mi*a (?), n. [NL., from Gr. &?;&?;&?; putrefactive + ||&?;&?;&?; blood.] (Med.) A poisoned condition of the blood produced ||by the absorption into it of septic or putrescent material; blood ||poisoning. It is marked by chills, fever, prostration, and ||inflammation of the different serous membranes and of the lungs, ||kidneys, and other organs.

Sep"tic*al*ly (?), adv. In a septic manner; in a manner tending to promote putrefaction.

Sep"ti*ci`dal (?), a. [Septum + L. caedere to cut: cf. F. septicide.] (Bot.) Dividing the partitions; -- said of a method of dehiscence in which a pod splits through the partitions and is divided into its component carpels.

Sep*tic"i*ty (?), n. [See Septic.] Tendency to putrefaction; septic quality.

Sep`ti*fa"ri*ous (?), a. [L. septifariam sevenfold. Cf. Bifarious.] (Bot.) Turned in seven different ways.

Sep*tif"er*ous (?), a. [Septum + -ferous: cf. F. septifère.] (Bot.) Bearing a partition; -- said of the valves of a capsule.

Sep*tif"er*ous, a. [Gr. &?;&?;&?; putrefied + -ferous.] Conveying putrid poison; as, the virulence of septiferous matter.

Sep*tif"lu*ous (?), a. [CF. Septemfluous.] Flowing in seven streams; septemfluous.

Sep`ti*fo"li*ous (?), a. [Septi- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.) Having seven leaves.

Sep"ti*form (?), a. [Septum + -form.] Having the form of a septum.

Sep*tif"ra*gal (?), a. [Septum + L. frangere, fractum, to break.] (Bot.) Breaking from the partitions; -- said of a method of dehiscence in which the valves of a pod break away from the partitions, and these remain attached to the common axis.

Sep`ti*lat"er*al (?), a. [Septi- + lateral.] Having seven sides; as, a septilateral figure.

Sep*til"lion (?), n. [F. septilion, formed fr. L. septem seven, in imitation of million.] According to the French method of numeration (which is followed also in the United States), the number expressed by a unit with twenty-four ciphers annexed. According to the English method, the number expressed by a unit with forty-two ciphers annexed. See Numeration.

Sep"ti*mole (?), n. [L. septem seven.] (Mus.) A group of seven notes to be played in the time of four or six.

Sep*tin"su*lar (?), a. [Septi- + insular.] Consisting of seven islands; as, the septinsular republic of the Ionian Isles.

Sep"ti*syl`la*ble (?), n. [Septi- + syllable.] A word of seven syllables.

Sep*to"ic (?), a. [L. septem seven.] (Chem.) See Heptoic. [R.]

Sep`to*max"il*la*ry (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the nasal septum and the maxilla; situated in the region of these parts. -- n. A small bone between the nasal septum and the maxilla in many reptiles and amphibians.

Sep`tu*a*ge*na"ri*an (?), n. A person who is seventy years of age; a septuagenary.

Sep`tu*ag"e*na*ry (?), a. [L. septuagenarius, fr. septuageny seventy each; akin to septuaginta seventy, septem seven. See Seven.] Consisting of seventy; also, seventy years old. -- n. A septuagenarian.

||Sep`tu*a*ges"i*ma (?), n. [NL., fr. L. septuagesimus the seventieth, ||fr. septuaginta seventy.] (Eccl.) The third Sunday before Lent; -- so ||called because it is about seventy days before Easter.

<! p. 1313 !>

Sep`tu*a*ges"i*mal (?), a. Consisting of seventy days, years, etc.; reckoned by seventies.

Our abridged and septuagesimal age.

Sir T. Browne.

Sep"tu*a*gint (?), n. [From L. septuaginta seventy.] A Greek version of the Old Testament; -- so called because it was believed to be the work of seventy (or rather of seventy-two) translators.

The causes which produced it [the Septuagint], the number and names of the translators, the times at which different portions were translated, are all uncertain. The only point in which all agree is that Alexandria was the birthplace of the version. On one other point there is a near agreement, namely, as to time, that the version was made, or at least commenced, in the time of the early Ptolemies, in the first half of the third century b.c. Dr. W. Smith (Bib. Dict.)

Septuagint chronology, the chronology founded upon the dates of the Septuagint, which makes 1500 years more from the creation to Abraham than the Hebrew Bible.

Sep"tu*a*ry (?), n. [L. septem seven.] Something composed of seven; a week. [R.] Ash.

Sep"tu*late (?), a. [Dim. fr. septum.] (Bot.) Having imperfect or spurious septa.

||Sep"tu*lum (?), n.; pl. Septula (#). [NL., dim. of L. septum septum.] ||(Anat.) A little septum; a division between small cavities or parts.

||Sep"tum (?), n.; pl. Septa (#). [L. septum, saeptum, an inclosure, ||hedge, fence, fr. sepire, saepire, to hedge in, inclose.] 1. A wall ||separating two cavities; a partition; as, the nasal septum.

2. (Bot.) A partition that separates the cells of a fruit.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the radial calcareous plates of a coral. (b) One of the transverse partitions dividing the shell of a mollusk, or of a rhizopod, into several chambers. See Illust. under Nautilus. (c) One of the transverse partitions dividing the body cavity of an annelid.

Sep"tu*or (?), n. [F.] (Mus.) A septet.

Sep"tu*ple (?), a. [LL. septuplus; cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;:cf. F. septuple. Cf. Double, Quadruple.] Seven times as much; multiplied by seven; sevenfold.

Sep"tu*ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Septupled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Septupling (?).] To multiply by seven; to make sevenfold. Sir J. Herschel.

{ Sep"ul*cher, Sep"ul*chre } (?), n. [OE. sepulcre, OF. sepulcre, F. sépulcre, fr. L. sepulcrum, sepulchrum, fr. sepelire to bury.] The place in which the dead body of a human being is interred, or a place set apart for that purpose; a grave; a tomb.

The stony entrance of this sepulcher.

Shak.

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher.

John xx. 1.

A whited sepulcher. Fig.: Any person who is fair outwardly but unclean or vile within. See Matt. xxiii. 27.

{ Sep"ul*cher, Sep"ul*chre } (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sepulchered (?) or Sepulchred (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Sepulchering (?) or Sepulchring (&?;).] To bury; to inter; to entomb; as, obscurely sepulchered.

And so sepulchered in such pomp dost lie That kings for such a tomb would wish to die.

Milton.

Se*pul"chral (?), a. [L. sepulcralis: cf. F. sépulcral.] 1. Of or pertaining to burial, to the grave, or to monuments erected to the memory of the dead; as, a sepulchral stone; a sepulchral inscription.

2. Unnaturally low and grave; hollow in tone; -- said of sound, especially of the voice.

This exaggerated dulling of the voice . . . giving what is commonly called a sepulchral tone.

H. Sweet.

Sep"ul*ture (?), n. [F. sépulture, L. sepultura, fr. sepelire, sepultum, to bury.] 1. The act of depositing the dead body of a human being in the grave; burial; interment.

Where we may royal sepulture prepare.

Dryden.

2. A sepulcher; a grave; a place of burial.

Drunkeness that is the horrible sepulture of man's reason.

Chaucer.

Se*qua"cious (?), a. [L. sequax, -acis, fr. suquit to follow. See Sue to follow. ] 1. Inclined to follow a leader; following; attendant.

Trees uprooted left their place, Sequacious of the lyre.

Dryden.

2. Hence, ductile; malleable; pliant; manageable.

In the greater bodies the forge was easy, the matter being ductile and sequacious.

Ray.

3. Having or observing logical sequence; logically consistent and rigorous; consecutive in development or transition of thought.

The scheme of pantheistic omniscience so prevalent among the sequacious thinkers of the day.

Sir W. Hamilton.

Milton was not an extensive or discursive thinker, as Shakespeare was; for the motions of his mind were slow, solemn, and sequacious, like those of the planets.

De Quincey.

Se*qua"cious*ness, n. Quality of being sequacious.

Se*quac"i*ty (?), n. [L. sequacitas.] Quality or state of being sequacious; sequaciousness. Bacon.

Se"quel (s"kwl), n. [L. sequela, fr. sequit to follow: cf. F. séquelle a following. See Sue to follow.] 1. That which follows; a succeeding part; continuation; as, the sequel of a man's advantures or history.

O, let me say no more! Gather the sequel by that went before.

Shak.

2. Consequence; event; effect; result; as, let the sun cease, fail, or swerve, and the sequel would be ruin.

3. Conclusion; inference. [R.] Whitgift.

||Se*que"la (?), n.; pl. Sequelæ (#). [L., a follower, a result, from ||sequit to follow.] One who, or that which, follows. Specifically: (a) ||An adherent, or a band or sect of adherents. "Coleridge and his ||sequela." G. P. Marsh. (b) That which follows as the logical result ||of reasoning; inference; conclusion; suggestion.

Sequelæ, or thoughts suggested by the preceding aphorisms.

Coleridge.

(c) (Med.) A morbid phenomenon left as the result of a disease; a disease resulting from another.

Se"quence (s"kwens), n. [F. séquence, L. sequentia, fr. sequens. See Sequent.] 1. The state of being sequent; succession; order of following; arrangement.

How art thou a king But by fair sequence and succession?

Shak.

Sequence and series of the seasons of the year.

Bacon.

2. That which follows or succeeds as an effect; sequel; consequence; result.

The inevitable sequences of sin and punishment.

Bp. Hall.

3. (Philos.) Simple succession, or the coming after in time, without asserting or implying causative energy; as, the reactions of chemical agents may be conceived as merely invariable sequences.

4. (Mus.) (a) Any succession of chords (or harmonic phrase) rising or falling by the regular diatonic degrees in the same scale; a succession of similar harmonic steps. (b) A melodic phrase or passage successively repeated one tone higher; a rosalia.

5. (R.C.Ch.) A hymn introduced in the Mass on certain festival days, and recited or sung immediately before the gospel, and after the gradual or introit, whence the name. Bp. Fitzpatrick.

Originally the sequence was called a Prose, because its early form was rhythmical prose.

Shipley.

6. (Card Playing) (a) (Whist) Three or more cards of the same suit in immediately consecutive order of value; as, ace, king, and queen; or knave, ten, nine, and eight. (b) (Poker) All five cards, of a hand, in consecutive order as to value, but not necessarily of the same suit; when of one suit, it is called a sequence flush.

Se"quent (?), a. [L. sequens, -entis, p. pr. of sequi to follow. See Sue to follow.] 1. Following; succeeding; in continuance.

What to this was sequent Thou knowest already.

Shak.

2. Following as an effect; consequent.

Se"quent, n. 1. A follower. [R.] Shak.

2. That which follows as a result; a sequence.

Se*quen"tial (?), a. Succeeding or following in order. -- Se*quen"tial*ly, adv.

Se*ques"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sequestered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sequestering.] [F. séquestrer, L. sequestrare to give up for safe keeping, from sequester a depositary or trustee in whose hands the thing contested was placed until the dispute was settled. Cf. Sequestrate.] 1. (Law) To separate from the owner for a time; to take from parties in controversy and put into the possession of an indifferent person; to seize or take possession of, as property belonging to another, and hold it till the profits have paid the demand for which it is taken, or till the owner has performed the decree of court, or clears himself of contempt; in international law, to confiscate.

Formerly the goods of a defendant in chancery were, in the last resort, sequestered and detained to enforce the decrees of the court. And now the profits of a benefice are sequestered to pay the debts of ecclesiastics.

Blackstone.

2. To cause (one) to submit to the process of sequestration; to deprive (one) of one's estate, property, etc.

It was his tailor and his cook, his fine fashions and his French ragouts, which sequestered him.

South.

3. To set apart; to put aside; to remove; to separate from other things.

I had wholly sequestered my civil affairss.

Bacon.

4. To cause to retire or withdraw into obscurity; to seclude; to withdraw; -- often used reflexively.

When men most sequester themselves from action.

Hooker.

A love and desire to sequester a man's self for a higher conversation.

Bacon.

Se*ques"ter, v. i. 1. To withdraw; to retire. [Obs.]

To sequester out of the world into Atlantic and Utopian politics.

Milton.

2. (Law) To renounce (as a widow may) any concern with the estate of her husband.

Se*ques"ter, n. 1. Sequestration; separation. [R.]

2. (Law) A person with whom two or more contending parties deposit the subject matter of the controversy; one who mediates between two parties; a mediator; an umpire or referee. Bouvier.

3. (Med.) Same as Sequestrum.

Se*ques"tered (?), a. Retired; secluded. "Sequestered scenes." Cowper.

Along the cool, sequestered vale of life.

Gray.

Se*ques"tra*ble (?), a. Capable of being sequestered; subject or liable to sequestration.

Se*ques"tral (?), a. (Med.) Of or pertaining to a sequestrum. Quian.

Se*ques"trate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sequestrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Sequestrating.] To sequester.

Seq`ues*tra"tion (?), n. [L. sequestratio: cf. F. séquestration.] 1. (a) (Civil & Com. Law) The act of separating, or setting aside, a thing in controversy from the possession of both the parties that contend for it, to be delivered to the one adjudged entitled to it. It may be voluntary or involuntary. (b) (Chancery) A prerogative process empowering certain commissioners to take and hold a defendant's property and receive the rents and profits thereof, until he clears himself of a contempt or performs a decree of the court. (c) (Eccl. Law) A kind of execution for a rent, as in the case of a beneficed clerk, of the profits of a benefice, till he shall have satisfied some debt established by decree; the gathering up of the fruits of a benefice during a vacancy, for the use of the next incumbent; the disposing of the goods, by the ordinary, of one who is dead, whose estate no man will meddle with. Craig. Tomlins. Wharton. (d) (Internat. Law) The seizure of the property of an individual for the use of the state; particularly applied to the seizure, by a belligerent power, of debts due from its subjects to the enemy. Burrill.

2. The state of being separated or set aside; separation; retirement; seclusion from society.

Since Henry Monmouth first began to reign, . . . This loathsome sequestration have I had.

Shak.

3. Disunion; disjunction. [Obs.] Boyle.

Seq"ues*tra`tor (?), n. [L., one that hinders or impedes.] (Law) (a) One who sequesters property, or takes the possession of it for a time, to satisfy a demand out of its rents or profits. (b) One to whom the keeping of sequestered property is committed.

||Se*ques"trum (?), n.; pl. Sequestra (#). [NL. See Sequester.] (Med.) ||A portion of dead bone which becomes separated from the sound ||portion, as in necrosis.

Se"quin (?), n. [F. sequin, It. zecchino, from zecca the mint, fr. Ar. sekkah, sikkah, a die, a stamp. Cf. Zechin.] An old gold coin of Italy and Turkey. It was first struck at Venice about the end of the 13th century, and afterward in the other Italian cities, and by the Levant trade was introduced into Turkey. It is worth about 9s. 3d. sterling, or about $2.25. The different kinds vary somewhat in value. [Written also chequin, and zequin.]

Se*quoi"a (?), n. [NL. So called by Dr. Endlicher in honor of Sequoyah, who invented the Cherokee alphabet.] (Bot.) A genus of coniferous trees, consisting of two species, Sequoia Washingtoniana, syn. S. gigantea, the "big tree" of California, and S. sempervirens, the redwood, both of which attain an immense height.

Se*quoi"ëne (?), n. (Chem.) A hydrocarbon (C13H10) obtained in white fluorescent crystals, in the distillation products of the needles of the California "big tree" (Sequoia gigantea).

Se*ragl"io (?), n. [It. serraglio, originally, an inclosure of palisades, afterwards also, a palace, seraglio (by confusion with Per. serïa a palace, an entirely different word), fr. serrare to shut, fr. LL. serra a bar for fastening doors, L. sera. See Serry, Series.] 1. An inclosure; a place of separation. [Obs.]

I went to the Ghetto, where the Jews dwell as in a suburb, by themselves. I passed by the piazza Judea, where their seraglio begins.

Evelyn.

2. The palace of the Grand Seignior, or Turkish sultan, at Constantinople, inhabited by the sultan himself, and all the officers and dependents of his court. In it are also kept the females of the harem.

3. A harem; a place for keeping wives or concubines; sometimes, loosely, a place of licentious pleasure; a house of debauchery.

||Se*ra"i (?), n. [Per. serï, or sarï, a palace, a king's court, a ||seraglio, an inn. Cf. Caravansary.] A palace; a seraglio; also, in ||the East, a place for the accommodation of travelers; a caravansary, ||or rest house.

Ser`al*bu"men (?), n. (Physiol. CHem.) Serum albumin.

||Se*rang" (?), n. [Per. sarhang a commander.] The boatswain of a ||Lascar or East Ondian crew.

||Se*ra"pe (?), n. [Sp. Amer. sarape.] A blanket or shawl worn as an ||outer garment by the Spanish Americans, as in Mexico.

Ser"aph (?), n.; pl. E. Seraphs (#), Heb. Seraphim (#). [Heb. serphim, pl.] One of an order of celestial beings, each having three pairs of wings. In ecclesiastical art and in poetry, a seraph is represented as one of a class of angels. Isa. vi. 2.

As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns, As the rapt seraph that adores and burns.

Pope.

Seraph moth (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of geometrid moths of the genus Lobophora, having the hind wings deeply bilobed, so that they seem to have six wings.

{ Se*raph"ic (?), Se*raph"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. séraphique.] Of or pertaining to a seraph; becoming, or suitable to, a seraph; angelic; sublime; pure; refined. "Seraphic arms and trophies." Milton. "Seraphical fervor." Jer. Taylor. -- Se*raph"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Se*raph"ic*al*ness, n.

Se*raph"i*cism (?), n. The character, quality, or state of a seraph; seraphicalness. [R.] Cudworth.

Ser"a*phim (?), n. The Hebrew plural of Seraph. Cf. Cherubim.

The double plural form seraphims is sometimes used, as in the King James version of the Bible, Isa. vi. 2 and 6.

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Ser`a*phi"na (?), n. [NL.] A seraphine.

Ser"a*phine (?), n. [From Seraph.] (Mus.) A wind instrument whose sounding parts are reeds, consisting of a thin tongue of brass playing freely through a slot in a plate. It has a case, like a piano, and is played by means of a similar keybord, the bellows being worked by the foot. The melodeon is a portable variety of this instrument.

||Se*ra"pis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;.] (Myth.) An ||Egyptian deity, at first a symbol of the Nile, and so of fertility; ||later, one of the divinities of the lower world. His worship was ||introduced into Greece and Rome.

Se*ras"kier (?), n. [Turk., fr. Per. ser head, chief + Ar. 'asker an army.] A general or commander of land forces in the Turkish empire; especially, the commander-in-chief of minister of war.

Se*ras"kier*ate (?), n. The office or authority of a seraskier.

Ser*bo"ni*an (?), a. Relating to the lake of Serbonis in Egypt, which by reason of the sand blowing into it had a deceptive appearance of being solid land, but was a bog.

A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog . . . Where armies whole have sunk.

Milton.

Sere (?), a. Dry; withered. Same as Sear.

But with its sound it shook the sails That were so thin and sere.

Coleridge.

Sere, n. [F. serre.] Claw; talon. [Obs.] Chapman.

||Se*rein" (?), n. [F. Cf. Serenade, n.] (Meteorol.) A mist, or very ||fine rain, which sometimes falls from a clear sky a few moments after ||sunset. Tyndall.

Ser`e*nade" (?), n. [F. sérénade, It. serenata, probably fr. L. serenus serene (cf. Serene), misunderstood as a derivative fr. L. serus late. Cf. Soirée.] (Mus.) (a) Music sung or performed in the open air at nights; -- usually applied to musical entertainments given in the open air at night, especially by gentlemen, in a spirit of gallantry, under the windows of ladies. (b) A piece of music suitable to be performed at such times.

Ser`e*nade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Serenaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Serenading.] To entertain with a serenade.

Ser`e*nade", v. i. To perform a serenade.

Ser`e*nad"er (?), n. One who serenades.

{ Ser`e*na"ta (?), Ser"e*nate (?), } n. [It. serenata. See Serenade.] (Mus.) A piece of vocal music, especially one on an amoreus subject; a serenade.

Or serenate, which the starved lover sings To his pround fair.

Milton.

The name serenata was given by Italian composers in the time of Handel, and by Handel himself, to a cantata of a pastoreal of dramatic character, to a secular ode, etc.; also by Mozart and others to an orchectral composition, in several movements, midway between the suite of an earlier period and the modern symphony. Grove.

Se*rene" (?), a. [L. serenus to grow dry, Gr. &?;&?;&?; hot, scorching.] 1. Bright; clear; unabscured; as, a serene sky.

The moon serene in glory mounts the sky.

Pope.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.

Gray.

2. Calm; placid; undisturbed; unruffled; as, a serene aspect; a serene soul. Milton.

In several countries of Europe, Serene is given as a tittle to princes and the members of their families; as, His Serene Highness.

Drop serene. (Med.) See Amaurosis. Milton.

Se*rene", n. 1. Serenity; clearness; calmness. [Poetic.] "The serene of heaven." Southey.

To their master is denied To share their sweet serene.

Young.

2. [F. serein evening dew or damp. See Serein.] Evening air; night chill. [Obs.] "Some serene blast me." B. Jonson.

Se*rene", v. t. [L. serenare.] To make serene.

Heaven and earth, as if contending, vie To raise his being, and serene his soul.

Thomson.

Se*rene"ly, adv. 1. In a serene manner; clearly.

Now setting Phœbus shone serenely bright.

Pope.

2. With unruffled temper; coolly; calmly. Prior.

Se*rene"ness, n. Serenity. Feltham.

Se*ren"i*tude (?), n. Serenity. [Obs.]

Se*ren"i*ty (?), n. [L. serenuas: cf. F. sérénité.] 1. The quality or state of being serene; clearness and calmness; quietness; stillness; peace.

A general peace and serenity newly succeeded a general trouble.

Sir W. Temple.

2. Calmness of mind; eveness of temper; undisturbed state; coolness; composure.

I can not see how any men should ever transgress those moral rules with confidence and serenity.

Locke.

Serenity is given as a title to the members of certain princely families in Europe; as, Your Serenity.

Serf (?), n. [F., fr. L. serus servant, slave; akin to servare to protect, preserve, observe, and perhaps originally, a client, a man under one's protection. Cf. Serve, v. t.] A servant or slave employed in husbandry, and in some countries attached to the soil and transferred with it, as formerly in Russia.

In England, at least from the reign of Henry II, one only, and that the inferior species [of villeins], existed . . . But by the customs of France and Germany, persons in this abject state seem to have been called serfs, and distinguished from villeins, who were only bound to fixed payments and duties in respect of their lord, though, as it seems, without any legal redress if injured by him.

Hallam.

Syn. -- Serf, Slave. A slave is the absolute property of his master, and may be sold in any way. A serf, according to the strict sense of the term, is one bound to work on a certain estate, and thus attached to the soil, and sold with it into the service of whoever purchases the land.

{ Serf"age (?), Serf"dom (?) }, n. The state or condition of a serf.

Serf"hood (?), Serf"ism (&?;), n. Serfage.

Serge (?), n. [F. serge, sarge, originally, a silken stuff, fr. L. serica, f. or neut. pl. of sericus silken. See Sericeous, Silk.] A woolen twilled stuff, much used as material for clothing for both sexes.

Silk serge, a twilled silk fabric used mostly by tailors for lining parts of gentlemen's coats.

Serge, n. [F. cierge.] A large wax candle used in the ceremonies of various churches.

Ser"gean*cy (?), n.; pl. Sergeancies (#). [Cf. Sergeanty.] The office of a sergeant; sergeantship. [Written also serjeancy.]

Ser"geant (?), n. [F. sergent, fr. L. serviens, -entis, p. pr. of servire to serve. See Serve, and cf. Servant.] [Written also serjeant. Both spellings are authorized. In England serjeant is usually preferred, except for military officers. In the United States sergeant is common for civil officers also.] 1. Formerly, in England, an officer nearly answering to the more modern bailiff of the hundred; also, an officer whose duty was to attend on the king, and on the lord high steward in court, to arrest traitors and other offenders. He is now called sergeant-at-arms, and two of these officers, by allowance of the sovereign, attend on the houses of Parliament (one for each house) to execute their commands, and another attends the Court Chancery.

The sergeant of the town of Rome them sought.

Chaucer.

The magistrates sent the serjeant, saying, Let those men go.

Acts xvi. 35.

This fell sergeant, Death, Is strict in his arrest.

Shak.

2. (Mil.) In a company, battery, or troop, a noncommissioned officer next in rank above a corporal, whose duty is to instruct recruits in discipline, to form the ranks, etc.

In the United States service, besides the sergeants belonging to the companies there are, in each regiment, a sergeant major, who is the chief noncommissioned officer, and has important duties as the assistant to the adjutant; a quartermaster sergeant, who assists the quartermaster; a color sergeant, who carries the colors; and a commissary sergeant, who assists in the care and distribution of the stores. Ordnance sergeants have charge of the ammunition at military posts.

3. (Law) A lawyer of the highest rank, answering to the doctor of the civil law; -- called also serjeant at law. [Eng.] Blackstone.

4. A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign; as, sergeant surgeon, that is, a servant, or attendant, surgeon. [Eng.]

5. (Zoöl.) The cobia.

Drill sergeant. (Mil.) See under Drill. -- Sergeant-at-arms, an officer of a legislative body, or of a deliberative or judicial assembly, who executes commands in preserving order and arresting offenders. See Sergeant, 1. -- Sergeant major. (a) (Mil.) See the Note under def. 2, above. (b) (Zoöl.) The cow pilot.

Ser"geant*cy (?), n. Same as Sergeancy.

Ser"geant*ry (?), n. [CF. OF. sergenteric.] See Sergeanty. [R.] [Written also serjeantry.]

Ser"geant*ship, n. The office of sergeant.

Ser"geant*y (?), n. [Cf. OF. sergentie, LL. sergentia. See Sergeant.] (Eng. Law) Tenure of lands of the crown by an honorary kind of service not due to any lord, but to the king only. [Written also serjeanty.]

Grand sergeanty, a particular kind of tenure by which the tenant was bound to do some special honorary service to the king in person, as to carry his banner, his sword, or the like. Tomlins. Cowell. Blackstone. -- Petit sergeanty. See under Petit.

Se"ri*al (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to a series; consisting of a series; appearing in successive parts or numbers; as, a serial work or publication. "Classification . . . may be more or less serial." H. Spencer.

2. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to rows. Gray.

Serial homology. (Biol.) See under Homology. -- Serial symmetry. (Biol.) See under Symmetry.

Se"ri*al, n. A publication appearing in a series or succession of part; a tale, or other writing, published in successive numbers of a periodical.

Se`ri*al"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of succession in a series; sequence. H. Spenser.

Se"ri*al*ly, adv. In a series, or regular order; in a serial manner; as, arranged serially; published serially.

Se"ri*ate (?), a. Arranged in a series or succession; pertaining to a series. -- Se"ri*ate*ly, adv.

Se`ri*a"tim (?), adv. [NL.] In regular order; one after the other; severally.

Se`ri*a"tion (?), n. (Chem.) Arrangement or position in a series.

Se*ri"ceous (?), a. [L. sericus silken, sericum Seric stuff, silk, fr. Sericus belonging to the Seres, Gr. &?;&?;&?;, a people of Eastern Asia, the modern Chinese, celebrated for their silken fabrics. Cf. Silk, Serge a woolen stuff.] 1. Of or pertaining to silk; consisting of silk; silky.

2. (Bot.) Covered with very soft hairs pressed close to the surface; as, a sericeous leaf.

3. (Zoöl.) Having a silklike luster, usually due to fine, close hairs.

Ser"i*cin (?), n. [L. sericus silken.] (Chem.) A gelatinous nitrogenous material extracted from crude silk and other similar fiber by boiling water; -- called also silk gelatin.

Ser"i*cite (?), n. [L. sericus silken.] (Min.) A kind of muscovite occuring in silky scales having a fibrous structure. It is characteristic of sericite schist.

||Ser`ic*te"ri*um (?), n. [See Sericeous.] (Zoöl.) A silk gland, as in ||the silkworms.

Ser"i*cul`ture (?), n. [See Sericeous, and Culture.] The raising of silkworms.

Se"rie (?), n. [Cf. F. série.] Series. [Obs.]

||Ser`i*e"ma (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A large South American bird ||(Dicholophus, or Cariama cristata) related to the cranes. It is often ||domesticated. Called also cariama.

Se"ries (?), n. [L. series, fr. serere, sertum, to join or bind together; cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?; to fasten, Skr. sarit thread. Cf. Assert, Desert a solitude, Exert, Insert, Seraglio.] 1. A number of things or events standing or succeeding in order, and connected by a like relation; sequence; order; course; a succession of things; as, a continuous series of calamitous events.

During some years his life a series of triumphs.

Macaulay.

2. (Biol.) Any comprehensive group of animals or plants including several subordinate related groups.

Sometimes a series includes several classes; sometimes only orders or families; in other cases only species.

3. (Math.) An indefinite number of terms succeeding one another, each of which is derived from one or more of the preceding by a fixed law, called the law of the series; as, an arithmetical series; a geometrical series.

Ser"in (?), n. [F. serin.] (Zoöl.) A European finch (Serinus hortulanus) closely related to the canary.

Ser"ine (?), n. [L. sericus silken.] (Chem.) A white crystalline nitrogenous substance obtained by the action of dilute sulphuric acid on silk gelatin.

{ Se`ri*o-com"ic (?), Se`ri*o-com"ic*al (?), } a. Having a mixture of seriousness and sport; serious and comical.

Se"ri*ous (?), a. [L. serius: cf. F. sérieux, LL. seriosus.] 1. Grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn; not light, gay, or volatile.

He is always serious, yet there is about his manner a graceful ease.

Macaulay.

2. Really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting or deceiving. Beaconsfield.

3. Important; weighty; not trifling; grave.

The holy Scriptures bring to our ears the most serious things in the world.

Young.

4. Hence, giving rise to apprehension; attended with danger; as, a serious injury.

Syn. -- Grave; solemn; earnest; sedate; important; weighty. See Grave.

-- Se"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Se"ri*ous*ness, n.

Ser"iph (?), n. (Type Founding) See Ceriph.

{ Ser"jeant (?), Ser"jeant*cy, etc. } See Sergeant, Sergeantcy, etc.

Serjeant-at-arms. See Sergeant-at- arms, under Sergeant.

Ser*moc`i*na"tion (?), n. [L. sermocinatio. See Sermon.] The making of speeches or sermons; sermonizing. [Obs.] Peacham.

Ser*moc"i*na`tor (?), n. [L.] One who makes sermons or speeches. [Obs.] Howell.

Ser"mon (?), n. [OE. sermoun, sermun, F. sermon, fr. L. sermo, -onis, a speaking, discourse, probably fr. serer, sertum, to join, connect; hence, a connected speech. See Series.] 1. A discourse or address; a talk; a writing; as, the sermons of Chaucer. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. Specifically, a discourse delivered in public, usually by a clergyman, for the purpose of religious instruction and grounded on some text or passage of Scripture.

This our life exempt from public haunts Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything.

Shak.

His preaching much, but more his practice, wrought, A living sermon of the truths he taught.

Dryden.

3. Hence, a serious address; a lecture on one's conduct or duty; an exhortation or reproof; a homily; -- often in a depreciatory sense.

Ser"mon, v. i. [Cf. OF. sermoner, F. sermonner to lecture one.] To speak; to discourse; to compose or deliver a sermon. [Obs.] Holinshed.

What needeth it to sermon of it more?

Chaucer.

Ser"mon, v. t. 1. To discourse to or of, as in a sermon. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. To tutor; to lecture. [Poetic] Shak.

Ser`mon*eer" (?), n. A sermonizer. B. Jonson.

Ser"mon*er (?), n. A preacher; a sermonizer. [Derogative or Jocose.] Thackeray.

Ser`mon*et" (?), n. A short sermon. [Written also sermonette.]

{ Ser*mon"ic (?), Ser*mon"ic*al (?), } a. Like, or appropriate to, a sermon; grave and didactic. [R.] "Conversation . . . satirical or sermonic." Prof. Wilson. "Sermonical style." V. Knox.

Ser"mon*ing (?), n. The act of discoursing; discourse; instruction; preaching. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ser"mon*ish, a. Resembling a sermon. [R.]

Ser"mon*ist, n. See Sermonizer.

Ser"mon*ize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sermonized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sermonizing (?).] 1. To compose or write a sermon or sermons; to preach.

2. To inculcate rigid rules. [R.] Chesterfield.

Ser"mon*ize, v. t. To preach or discourse to; to affect or influence by means of a sermon or of sermons. [R.]

Which of us shall sing or sermonize the other fast asleep?

Landor.

Ser"mon*i`zer (?), n. One who sermonizes.

Ser"o*lin (?), n. [Serum + L. oleum oil.] (Physiol. Chem.) (a) A peculiar fatty substance found in the blood, probably a mixture of fats, cholesterin, etc. (b) A body found in fecal matter and thought to be formed in the intestines from the cholesterin of the bile; -- called also stercorin, and stercolin.

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{ Se*ron" (?), Se*roon" (?), } n. [Sp. seron a kind of hamper or pannier, aug. of sera a large pannier or basket.] Same as Ceroon.

This word as expressing a quantity or weight has no definite signification. McElrath.

Se"rose` (?), a. Serous. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Se*ros"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. serosité. See Serous.] 1. The quality or state of being serous.

2. (Physiol.) A thin watery animal fluid, as synovial fluid and pericardial fluid.

Ser"o*tine (?), n. [F. sérotine, fr. L. serotinus that comes or happens late.] (Zoöl.) The European long-eared bat (Vesperugo serotinus).

Se*rot"i*nous (?), a. [L. serotinus, fr. serus late.] (Biol.) Appearing or blossoming later in the season than is customary with allied species.

Se"rous (?), a. [Cf. F. séreux. See Serum.] (Physiol.) (a) Thin; watery; like serum; as the serous fluids. (b) Of or pertaining to serum; as, the serous glands, membranes, layers. See Serum.

Serous membrane. (Anat.) See under Membrane.

{ Ser"ow (?), Sur"row (?), } n. (Zoöl.) The thar.

||Ser"pens (?), n. [L. See Serpent.] (Astron.) A constellation ||represented as a serpent held by Serpentarius.

Ser"pent (?), n. [F., fr. L. serpens, -entis (sc. bestia), fr. serpens, p. pr. of serpere to creep; akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;, Skr. sarp, and perhaps to L. repere, E. reptile. Cf. Herpes.] 1. (Zoöl.) Any reptile of the order Ophidia; a snake, especially a large snake. See Illust. under Ophidia.

The serpents are mostly long and slender, and move partly by bending the body into undulations or folds and pressing them against objects, and partly by using the free edges of their ventral scales to cling to rough surfaces. Many species glide swiftly over the ground, some burrow in the earth, others live in trees. A few are entirely aquatic, and swim rapidly. See Ophidia, and Fang.

2. Fig.: A subtle, treacherous, malicious person.

3. A species of firework having a serpentine motion as it passess through the air or along the ground.

4. (Astron.) The constellation Serpens.

5. (Mus.) A bass wind instrument, of a loud and coarse tone, formerly much used in military bands, and sometimes introduced into the orchestra; -- so called from its form.

Pharaoh's serpent (Chem.), mercuric sulphocyanate, a combustible white substance which in burning gives off a poisonous vapor and leaves a peculiar brown voluminous residue which is expelled in a serpentine from. It is employed as a scientific toy. -- Serpent cucumber (Bot.), the long, slender, serpentine fruit of the cucurbitaceous plant Trichosanthes colubrina; also, the plant itself. -- Serpent eage (Zoöl.), any one of several species of raptorial birds of the genera Circaëtus and Spilornis, which prey on serpents. They inhabit Africa, Southern Europe, and India. The European serpent eagle is Circaëtus Gallicus. -- Serpent eater. (Zoöl.) (a) The secretary bird. (b) An Asiatic antelope; the markhoor. -- Serpent fish (Zoöl.), a fish (Cepola rubescens) with a long, thin, compressed body, and a band of red running lengthwise. -- Serpent star (Zoöl.), an ophiuran; a brittle star. -- Serpent's tongue (Paleon.), the fossil tooth of a shark; -- so called from its resemblance to a tongue with its root. -- Serpent withe (Bot.), a West Indian climbing plant (Aristolochia odoratissima). -- Tree serpent (Zoöl.), any species of African serpents belonging to the family Dendrophidæ.

Ser"pent, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Serpented; p. pr. & vb. n. Serpenting.] To wind like a serpent; to crook about; to meander. [R.] "The serpenting of the Thames." Evelyn.

Ser"pent, v. t. To wind; to encircle. [R.] Evelyn.

||Ser`pen*ta"ri*a (?), a.[L. (sc. herba), fr. serpens serpent.] (Med.) ||The fibrous aromatic root of the Virginia snakeroot (Aristolochia ||Serpentaria).

||Ser`pen*ta"ri*us (?), n.[NL., fr. L. serpens serpent.] (Astron.) A ||constellation on the equator, lying between Scorpio and Hercules; -- ||called also Ophiuchus.

Ser*pen"ti*form (?), a. [L. serpens a serpent + -form.] Having the form of a serpent.

Ser`pen*tig"e*nous (?), a. [L. serpens, -entis, a serpent + -genous: cf. L. serpentigena.] Bred of a serpent.

Ser"pen*tine (?), a. [L. serpentinus: cf. F. serpentin.] Resembling a serpent; having the shape or qualities of a serpent; subtle; winding or turning one way and the other, like a moving serpent; anfractuous; meandering; sinuous; zigzag; as, serpentine braid.

Thy shape Like his, and color serpentine.

Milton.

Ser"pen*tine, n. [Cf. (for sense 1) F. serpentine, (for sense 2) serpentin.] 1. (Min.) A mineral or rock consisting chiefly of the hydrous silicate of magnesia. It is usually of an obscure green color, often with a spotted or mottled appearance resembling a serpent's skin. Precious, or noble, serpentine is translucent and of a rich oil-green color.

Serpentine has been largely produced by the alteration of other minerals, especially of chrysolite.

2. (Ordnance) A kind of ancient cannon.

Ser"pen*tine, v. i. To serpentize. [R.] Lyttleton.

Ser"pen*tine*ly, adv. In a serpentine manner.

Ser`pen*tin"i*an (?), n. (Eccl.) See 2d Ophite.

Ser"pen*tin*ize (?), v. t. (Min.) To convert (a magnesian silicate) into serpentine. -- Ser`pen*tin`i*za"tion (#), n.

Ser"pen*ti`nous (?), a. Relating to, or like, serpentine; as, a rock serpentinous in character.

Ser"pent*ize (?), v. i. To turn or bend like a serpent, first in one direction and then in the opposite; to meander; to wind; to serpentine. [R.]

The river runs before the door, and serpentizes more than you can conceive.

Walpole.

Ser"pent*ry (?), n. 1. A winding like a serpent's.

2. A place inhabited or infested by serpents.

Ser"pent-tongued` (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having a forked tongue, like a serpent.

Ser"pet (?), n. [L. sirpus, scirpus, a rush, bulrush.] A basket. [Obs.] Ainsworth.

||Ser*pette" (?), n. [F.] A pruning knife with a curved blade. Knight.

Ser*pig"i*nous (?), a. [Cf. F. serpigineux.] (Med.) Creeping; -- said of lesions which heal over one portion while continuing to advance at another.

||Ser*pi"go (?), n. [LL., fr. L. serpere to creep.] (Med.) A dry, scaly ||eruption on the skin; especially, a ringworm.

Ser"po*let (?), n. [F.] (Bot.) Wild thyme.

||Ser"pu*la (?), n.; pl. Serpulæ (#), E. Serpulas (#). [L., a little ||snake. See Serpent.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of ||tubicolous annelids of the genus Serpula and allied genera of the ||family Serpulidæ. They secrete a calcareous tube, which is usually ||irregularly contorted, but is sometimes spirally coiled. The worm has ||a wreath of plumelike and often bright-colored gills around its head, ||and usually an operculum to close the aperture of its tube when it ||retracts.

{ Ser*pu"li*an (?), Ser*pu"li*dan (?), } n. (Zoöl.) A serpula.

Ser"pu*lite (?), n. A fossil serpula shell.

Serr (?), v. t. [F. serrer. See Serry.] To crowd, press, or drive together. [Obs.] Bacon.

Ser*ra"noid (?), n. [NL. Serranus, a typical genus (fr. L. serra a saw) + - oid.] (Zoöl.) Any fish of the family Serranidæ, which includes the striped bass, the black sea bass, and many other food fishes. -- a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Serranidæ.

{ Ser"rate (?), Ser"ra*ted (?), } a. [L. serratus, fr. serra a saw; perhaps akin to secare to cut, E. saw a cutting instrument. Cf. Sierra.] 1. Notched on the edge, like a saw.

2. (Bot.) Beset with teeth pointing forwards or upwards; as, serrate leaves.

Doubly serrate, having small serratures upon the large ones, as the leaves of the elm. -- Serrate- ciliate, having fine hairs, like the eyelashes, on the serratures; -- said of a leaf. -- Serrate- dentate, having the serratures toothed.

Ser*ra"tion (?), n. 1. Condition of being serrate; formation in the shape of a saw.

2. One of the teeth in a serrate or serrulate margin.

Ser*ra`ti*ros"tral (?), a. [Serrate + rostral.] (Zoöl.) Having a toothed bill, like that of a toucan.

Ser*ra"tor (?), n. [NL.] (Zoöl.) The ivory gull (Larus eburneus).

Ser"ra*ture (?), n. [L. serratura a sawing, fr. serrare to saw.] 1. A notching, like that between the teeth of a saw, in the edge of anything. Martyn.

2. One of the teeth in a serrated edge; a serration.

Ser"ri*ca`ted (?), a. [See Sericeous.] Covered with fine silky down.

Ser"ri*corn (?), a. [L. serra saw + cornu horn.] (Zoöl.) Having serrated antenn&?;.

Ser"ri*corn, n. (Zoöl.) Any one of a numerous tribe of beetles (Serricornia). The joints of the antennæ are prominent, thus producing a serrate appearance. See Illust. under Antenna.

Ser"ried (?), a. [See Serry.] Crowded; compact; dense; pressed together.

Nor seemed it to relax their serried files.

Milton.

||Ser*rif"e*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. serra saw + ferre to bear.] ||(Zoöl.) A division of Hymenoptera comprising the sawflies.

||Ser`ri*ros"tres (?), n. pl. [NL. fr. L. serra saw + rostrum beak.] ||(Zoöl.) Same as Lamellirostres.

Ser"rous (?), a. [L. serra a saw.] Like the teeth off a saw; jagged. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Ser"ru*la (?), n. [L., a little saw.] (Zoöl.) The red-breasted merganser.

{ Ser"rulate (?), Ser"ru*la`ted (?), } a. [L. serrula a little saw, dim. of serra a saw.] Finely serrate; having very minute teeth.

Ser`ru*la"tion (?), n. 1. The state of being notched minutely, like a fine saw. Wright.

2. One of the teeth in a serrulate margin.

Ser"ry (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Serried (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Serrying.] [F. serrer, LL. serrare, serare, from L. sera a bar, bolt; akin to serere to join or bind together. See Serries.] To crowd; to press together. [Now perhaps only in the form serried, p. p. or a.]

||Ser`tu*la"ri*a (?), n. [NL., dim. fr. L. serta a garland.] (Zoöl.) A ||genus of delicate branching hydroids having small sessile hydrothecæ ||along the sides of the branches.

Ser`tu*la"ri*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any species of Sertularia, or of Sertularidæ, a family of hydroids having branched chitinous stems and simple sessile hydrothecæ. Also used adjectively.

Se"rum (s"rm), n. [L., akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;, Skr. sra curd.] (Physiol.) (a) The watery portion of certain animal fluids, as blood, milk, etc. (b) A thin watery fluid, containing more or less albumin, secreted by the serous membranes of the body, such as the pericardium and peritoneum.

Blood serum, the pale yellowish fluid which exudes from the clot formed in the coagulation of the blood; the liquid portion of the blood, after removal of the blood corpuscles and the fibrin. -- Muscle serum, the thin watery fluid which separates from the muscles after coagulation of the muscle plasma; the watery portion of the plasma. See Muscle plasma, under Plasma. -- Serum albumin (Physiol. Chem.), an albuminous body, closely related to egg albumin, present in nearly all serous fluids; esp., the albumin of blood serum. -- Serum globulin (Physiol. Chem.), paraglobulin. -- Serum of milk (Physiol. Chem.), the whey, or fluid portion of milk, remaining after removal of the casein and fat.

Serv"a*ble (?), a. [See Serve.] 1. Capable of being served.

2. [L. servabilis.] Capable of being preserved. [R.]

Serv"age (?), n. [Cf. F. servage.] Serfage; slavery; servitude. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ser"val (?), n. [Cf. F. serval.] (Zoöl.) An African wild cat (Felis serval) of moderate size. It has rather long legs and a tail of moderate length. Its color is tawny, with black spots on the body and rings of black on the tail.

Ser"val*ine (?), a. (Zoöl.) Related to, or resembling, the serval.

Serv"ant (?), n. [OE. servant, servaunt, F. servant, a & p. pr. of servir to serve, L. servire. See Serve, and cf. Sergeant.] 1. One who serves, or does services, voluntarily or on compulsion; a person who is employed by another for menial offices, or for other labor, and is subject to his command; a person who labors or exerts himself for the benefit of another, his master or employer; a subordinate helper. "A yearly hired servant." Lev. xxv. 53.

Men in office have begun to think themselves mere agents and servants of the appointing power, and not agents of the government or the country.

D. Webster.

In a legal sense, stewards, factors, bailiffs, and other agents, are servants for the time they are employed in such character, as they act in subordination to others. So any person may be legally the servant of another, in whose business, and under whose order, direction, and control, he is acting for the time being. Chitty.

2. One in a state of subjection or bondage.

Thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt.

Deut. v. 15.

3. A professed lover or suitor; a gallant. [Obs.]

In my time a servant was I one.

Chaucer.

Servant of servants, one debased to the lowest condition of servitude. -- Your humble servant, or Your obedient servant, phrases of civility often used in closing a letter.

Our betters tell us they are our humble servants, but understand us to be their slaves.

Swift.

Serv"ant, v. t. To subject. [Obs.] Shak.

Serv"ant*ess, n. A maidservant. [Obs.] Wyclif.

Serv"ant*ry (?), n. A body of servants; servants, collectively. [R.]

Serve (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Served (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Serving.] [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L. servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva protecting. Cf. Conserve, Desert merit, Dessert, Observe, Serf, Sergeant.] 1. To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic, serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.; specifically, in a religious sense, to obey and worship.

God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit.

Rom. i. 9.

Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

Gen. xxix. 18.

No man can serve two masters.

Matt. vi. 24.

Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies.

Shak.

2. To be subordinate to; to act a secondary part under; to appear as the inferior of; to minister to.

Bodies bright and greater should not serve The less not bright.

Milton.

3. To be suitor to; to profess love to. [Obs.]

To serve a lady in his beste wise.

Chaucer.

4. To wait upon; to supply the wants of; to attend; specifically, to wait upon at table; to attend at meals; to supply with food; as, to serve customers in a shop.

Others, pampered in their shameless pride, Are served in plate and in their chariots ride.

Dryden.

5. Hence, to bring forward, arrange, deal, or distribute, as a portion of anything, especially of food prepared for eating; -- often with up; formerly with in.

Bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner.

Shak.

Some part he roasts, then serves it up so dressed.

Dryde.

<! p. 1316 !>

6. To perform the duties belonging to, or required in or for; hence, to be of use to; as, a curate may serve two churches; to serve one's country.

7. To contribute or conduce to; to promote; to be sufficient for; to satisfy; as, to serve one's turn.

Turn it into some advantage, by observing where it can serve another end.

Jer. Taylor.

8. To answer or be (in the place of something) to; as, a sofa serves one for a seat and a couch.

9. To treat; to behave one's self to; to requite; to act toward; as, he served me very ill.

10. To work; to operate; as, to serve the guns.

11. (Law) (a) To bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either actually or constructively, in such manner as the law requires; as, to serve a summons. (b) To make legal service opon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.); as, to serve a witness with a subpœna.

12. To pass or spend, as time, esp. time of punishment; as, to serve a term in prison.

13. To copulate with; to cover; as, a horse serves a mare; -- said of the male.

14. (Tennis) To lead off in delivering (the ball).

15. (Naut.) To wind spun yarn, or the like, tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather. See under Serving.

To serve an attachment or a writ of attachment (Law), to levy it on the person or goods by seizure, or to seize. -- To serve an execution (Law), to levy it on a lands, goods, or person, by seizure or taking possession. -- To serve an office, to discharge a public duty. -- To serve a process (Law), in general, to read it, so as to give due notice to the party concerned, or to leave an attested copy with him or his attorney, or his usual place of abode. -- To serve a warrant, to read it, and seize the person against whom it is issued. -- To serve a writ (Law), to read it to the defendant, or to leave an attested copy at his usual place of abode. -- To serve one out, to retaliate upon; to requite. "I'll serve you out for this." C. Kingsley. -- To serve one right, to treat, or cause to befall one, according to his deserts; -- used commonly of ill deserts; as, it serves the scoundrel right. -- To serve one's self of, to avail one's self of; to make use of. [A Gallicism]

I will serve myself of this concession.

Chillingworth.

-- To serve out, to distribute; as, to serve out rations. -- To serve the time or the hour, to regulate one's actions by the requirements of the time instead of by one's duty; to be a timeserver. [Obs.]

They think herein we serve the time, because thereby we either hold or seek preferment.

Hooker.

Syn. -- To obey; minister to; subserve; promote; aid; help; assist; benefit; succor.

Serve (?), v. i. 1. To be a servant or a slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection or bondage; to render menial service.

The Lord shall give thee rest . . . from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.

Isa. xiv. 3.

2. To perform domestic offices; to be occupied with household affairs; to prepare and dish up food, etc.

But Martha . . . said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?

Luke x. 40.

3. To be in service; to do duty; to discharge the requirements of an office or employment. Specifically, to act in the public service, as a soldier, seaman. etc.

Many . . . who had before been great commanders, but now served as private gentlemen without pay.

Knolles.

4. To be of use; to answer a purpose; to suffice; to suit; to be convenient or favorable.

This little brand will serve to light your fire.

Dryden.

As occasion serves, this noble queen And prince shall follow with a fresh supply.

Shak.

5. (Tennis) To lead off in delivering the ball.

Serv"er (?), n. 1. One who serves.

2. A tray for dishes; a salver. Randolph.

Ser"vi*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Servia, a kingdom of Southern Europe. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Servia.

{ Serv"ice (?), n., or Serv"ice (?) }. [Properly, the tree which bears serve, OE. serves, pl., service berries, AS. syrfe service tree; akin to L. sorbus.] (Bot.) A name given to several trees and shrubs of the genus Pyrus, as Pyrus domestica and P. torminalis of Europe, the various species of mountain ash or rowan tree, and the American shad bush (see Shad bush, under Shad). They have clusters of small, edible, applelike berries.

Service berry (Bot.), the fruit of any kind of service tree. In British America the name is especially applied to that of the several species or varieties of the shad bush (Amelanchier.)

Serv"ice, n. [OE. servise, OF. servise, service, F. service, from L. servitium. See Serve.] 1. The act of serving; the occupation of a servant; the performance of labor for the benefit of another, or at another's command; attendance of an inferior, hired helper, slave, etc., on a superior, employer, master, or the like; also, spiritual obedience and love. "O God . . . whose service is perfect freedom." Bk. of Com. Prayer.

Madam, I entreat true peace of you, Which I will purchase with my duteous service.

Shak.

God requires no man's service upon hard and unreasonable terms.

Tillotson.

2. The deed of one who serves; labor performed for another; duty done or required; office.

I have served him from the hour of my nativity, . . . and have nothing at his hands for my service but blows.

Shak.

This poem was the last piece of service I did for my master, King Charles.

Dryden.

To go on the forlorn hope is a service of peril; who will understake it if it be not also a service of honor?

Macaulay.

3. Office of devotion; official religious duty performed; religious rites appropriate to any event or ceremonial; as, a burial service.

The outward service of ancient religion, the rites, ceremonies, and ceremonial vestments of the old law.

Coleridge.

4. Hence, a musical composition for use in churches.

5. Duty performed in, or appropriate to, any office or charge; official function; hence, specifically, military or naval duty; performance of the duties of a soldier.

When he cometh to experience of service abroad . . . ne maketh a worthy soldier.

Spenser.

6. Useful office; advantage conferred; that which promotes interest or happiness; benefit; avail.

The stork's plea, when taken in a net, was the service she did in picking up venomous creatures.

L'Estrange.

7. Profession of respect; acknowledgment of duty owed. "Pray, do my service to his majesty." Shak.

8. The act and manner of bringing food to the persons who eat it; order of dishes at table; also, a set or number of vessels ordinarily used at table; as, the service was tardy and awkward; a service of plate or glass.

There was no extraordinary service seen on the board.

Hakewill.

9. (Law) The act of bringing to notice, either actually or constructively, in such manner as is prescribed by law; as, the service of a subpœna or an attachment.

10. (Naut.) The materials used for serving a rope, etc., as spun yarn, small lines, etc.

11. (Tennis) The act of serving the ball.

12. Act of serving or covering. See Serve, v. t., 13.

Service book, a prayer book or missal. - - Service line (Tennis), a line parallel to the net, and at a distance of 21 feet from it. -- Service of a writ, process, etc. (Law), personal delivery or communication of the writ or process, etc., to the party to be affected by it, so as to subject him to its operation; the reading of it to the person to whom notice is intended to be given, or the leaving of an attested copy with the person or his attorney, or at his usual place of abode. -- Service of an attachment (Law), the seizing of the person or goods according to the direction. -- Service of an execution (Law), the levying of it upon the goods, estate, or person of the defendant. -- Service pipe, a pipe connecting mains with a dwelling, as in gas pipes, and the like. Tomlinson. -- To accept service. (Law) See under Accept. -- To see service (Mil.), to do duty in the presence of the enemy, or in actual war.

Serv"ice*a*ble (?), a. 1. Doing service; promoting happiness, interest, advantage, or any good; useful to any end; adapted to any good end use; beneficial; advantageous. "Serviceable to religion and learning". Atterbury. "Serviceable tools." Macaulay.

I know thee well, a serviceable villain.

Shak.

2. Prepared for rendering service; capable of, or fit for, the performance of duty; hence, active; diligent.

Courteous he was, lowly, and servysable.

Chaucer.

Bright-hearnessed angels sit in order serviceable.

Milton.

Seeing her so sweet and serviceable.

Tennnyson.

-- Serv"ice*a*ble*ness, n. -- Serv"ice*a*bly, adv.

Serv"ice*age (?), n. Servitude. [Obs.] Fairfax.

Serv"i*ent (?), a. [L. serviens, -entis, p. pr. See Serve.] Subordinate. [Obs. except in law.] Dyer.

Servient tenement or estate (Law), that on which the burden of a servitude or an easement is imposed. Cf. Dominant estate, under Dominant. Gale & Whately.

||Ser`viette" (?), n. [F.] A table napkin.

Serv"ile (?), a. [L. servile, fr. servus a servant or slave: cf. F. servile. See Serve.] 1. Of or pertaining to a servant or slave; befitting a servant or a slave; proceeding from dependence; hence, meanly submissive; slavish; mean; cringing; fawning; as, servile flattery; servile fear; servile obedience.

She must bend the servile knee.

Thomson.

Fearing dying pays death servile breath.

Shak.

2. Held in subjection; dependent; enslaved.

Even fortune rules no more, O servile land!

Pope.

3. (Gram.) (a) Not belonging to the original root; as, a servile letter. (b) Not itself sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceeding vowel, as e in tune.

Serv"ile, n. (Gram.) An element which forms no part of the original root; -- opposed to radical.

Serv"ile*ly, adv. In a servile manner; slavishly.

Serv"ile*ness, n. Quality of being servile; servility.

Ser*vil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. servilité.] The quality or state of being servile; servileness.

To be a queen in bondage is more vile Than is a slave in base servility.

Shak.

Serv"ing, a. & n. from Serve.

Serving board (Naut.), a flat piece of wood used in serving ropes. -- Serving maid, a female servant; a maidservant. -- Serving mallet (Naut.), a wooden instrument shaped like a mallet, used in serving ropes. -- Serving man, a male servant, or attendant; a manservant. -- Serving stuff (Naut.), small lines for serving ropes.

Serv"ite (?), n. [It. servita.] (R.C.Ch.) One of the order of the Religious Servants of the Holy Virgin, founded in Florence in 1223.

Serv"i*tor (?), n. [L., fr. servire to serve: cf. F. serviteur.] 1. One who serves; a servant; an attendant; one who acts under another; a follower or adherent.

Your trusty and most valiant servitor.

Shak.

2. (Univ. of Oxford, Eng.) An undergraduate, partly supported by the college funds, whose duty it formerly was to wait at table. A servitor corresponded to a sizar in Cambridge and Dublin universities.

Serv"i*tor*ship, n. The office, rank, or condition of a servitor. Boswell.

Serv"i*tude (?), n. [L. servitudo: cf. F. servitude.] 1. The state of voluntary or compulsory subjection to a master; the condition of being bound to service; the condition of a slave; slavery; bondage; hence, a state of slavish dependence.

You would have sold your king to slaughter, His princes and his peers to servitude.

Shak.

A splendid servitude; . . . for he that rises up early, and goe&?; to bed late, only to receive addresses, is really as much abridged in his freedom as he that waits to present one.

South.

2. Servants, collectively. [Obs.]

After him a cumbrous train Of herds and flocks, and numerous servitude.

Milton.

3. (Law) A right whereby one thing is subject to another thing or person for use or convenience, contrary to the common right.

The object of a servitude is either to suffer something to be done by another, or to omit to do something, with respect to a thing. The easements of the English correspond in some respects with the servitudes of the Roman law. Both terms are used by common law writers, and often indiscriminately. The former, however, rather indicates the right enjoyed, and the latter the burden imposed. Ayliffe. Erskine. E. Washburn.

Penal servitude. See under Penal. -- Personal servitude (Law), that which arises when the use of a thing is granted as a real right to a particular individual other than the proprietor. -- Predial servitude (Law), that which one estate owes to another estate. When it related to lands, vineyards, gardens, or the like, it is called rural; when it related to houses and buildings, it is called urban.

Serv"i*ture (?), n. Servants, collectively. [Obs.]

Serv"i*tute (?), n. [L. servitus.] Servitude. [Obs.]

Se"rye (?), n. A series. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ses"a*me (?), n. [L. sesamum, sesama, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;: cf. F. sésame.] (Bot.) Either of two annual herbaceous plants of the genus Sesamum (S. Indicum, and S. orientale), from the seeds of which an oil is expressed; also, the small obovate, flattish seeds of these plants, sometimes used as food. See Benne.

Open Sesame, the magical command which opened the door of the robber's den in the Arabian Nights' tale of "The Forty Thieves;" hence, a magical password. -- Sesame grass. (Bot.) Same as Gama grass.

Ses"a*moid (?), a. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; like sesame; &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; sesame + &?;&?;&?; form: cf. F. sésamoïde.] 1. Resembling in shape the seeds of sesame.

2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sesamoid bones or cartilages; sesamoidal.

Sesamoid bones, Sesamoid cartilages (Anat.), small bones or cartilages formed in tendons, like the patella and pisiform in man.

Ses"a*moid, n. (Anat.) A sesamoid bone or cartilage.

Ses`a*moid"al (?), a. (Anat.) Sesamoid.

Ses"ban (?), n. [F., fr. Ar. saisabn, seisebn, a kind of tree, fr. Per. ssabn seed of cinquefoil.] (Bot.) A leguminous shrub (Sesbania aculeata) which furnishes a fiber used for making ropes.

The name is applied also to the similar plant, Sesbania Ægyptiaca, and other species of the same genus.

||Ses`qui- (?). [L., one half more, one and a half.] (Chem.) A ||combining form (also used adjectively) denoting that three atoms or ||equivalents of the substance to the name of which it is prefixed are ||combined with two of some other element or radical; as, ||sesquibromide, sesquicarbonate, sesquichloride, sesquioxide.

Sesquidupli- is sometimes, but rarely, used in the same manner to denote the proportions of two and a half to one, or rather of five to two.

Ses`qui*al"ter (?), a. Sesquialteral.

{ Ses`qui*al"ter (?), Ses`qui*al"ter*a (?), } n. [NL. sesquialtera.] (Mus.) A stop on the organ, containing several ranks of pipes which reënforce some of the high harmonics of the ground tone, and make the sound more brilliant.

{ Ses`qui*al"ter*al (?), Ses`qui*al"ter*ate (?), } a. [L. sesquialter once and a half; sesqui- + alter other: cf. F. sesquialtére.] Once and a half times as great as another; having the ratio of one and a half to one.

Sesquialteral ratio (Math.), the ratio of one and a half to one; thus, 9 and 6 are in a sesquialteral ratio.

Ses`qui*al"ter*ous (?), a. Sesquialteral.

Ses`qui*ba"sic (?), a. [Sesqui- + basic.] (Chem.) Containing, or acting as, a base in the proportions of a sesqui compound.

Ses`qui*du"pli*cate (?), a. [Sesqui- + duplicate.] Twice and a half as great (as another thing); having the ratio of two and a half to one.

Sesquiduplicate ratio (Math.), the ratio of two and a half to one, or one in which the greater term contains the lesser twice and a half, as that of 50 to 20.

Ses`qui*ox"ide (?), n. [Sesqui- + oxide.] (Chem.) An oxide containing three atoms of oxygen with two atoms (or radicals) of some other substance; thus, alumina, Al2O3 is a sesquioxide.

{ Ses*quip"e*dal (?), Ses`qui*pe*da"li*an (?), } a. [Sesqui- + pedal: cf. F. sesquipédal, L. sesquipedalis.] Measuring or containing a foot and a half; as, a sesquipedalian pygmy; -- sometimes humorously applied to long words.

{ Ses`qui*pe*da"li*an*ism (?), Ses*quip"e*dal*ism (?), } n. Sesquipedality.

Ses`qui*pe*dal"i*ty (?), n. 1. The quality or condition of being sesquipedal. Sterne.

2. The use of sesquipedalian words; style characterized by the use of long words; sesquipedalism.

Ses*quip"li*cate (?), a. [Sesqui- + plicate.] (Math.) Subduplicate of the triplicate; -- a term applied to ratios; thus, a and a&prime; are in the sesquiplicate ratio of b and b&prime;, when a is to a&prime; as the square root of the cube of b is to the square root of the cube of b&prime;, or a:a&prime;::&radic;b3:&radic;b&prime;3.

The periodic times of the planets are in the sesquiplicate ratio of their mean distances.

Sir I. Newton.

Ses"qui*salt (?), n. [Sesqui- + salt.] (Chem.) A salt derived from a sesquioxide base, or made up on the proportions of a sesqui compound.

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Ses`qui*sul"phide (?), n. [Sesqui- + sulphide.] (Chem.) A sulphide, analogous to a sesquioxide, containing three atoms of sulphur to two of the other ingredient; -- formerly called also sesquisulphuret; as, orpiment, As2S3 is arsenic sesquisulphide.

Ses`qui*ter"tial (?), a. Sesquitertian.

{ Ses`qui*ter"tian (?), Ses`qui*ter"tian*al (?), } a. [Sesqui- + L. tertianus belonging to the third. Cf. Tertian.] (Math.) Having the ratio of one and one third to one (as 4 : 3).

Ses"qui*tone (?), n. [Sesqui- + tone.] (Mus.) A minor third, or interval of three semitones.

Sess (?), v. t. [Aphetic form of assess. See Assess, Cess.] To lay a tax upon; to assess. [Obs.]

Sess, n. A tax; an assessment. See Cess. [Obs.]

Ses"sa (?), interj. Hurry; run. [Obs.] Shak.

Ses"sile (?), a. [L. sessilis low, dwarf, from sedere, sessum, to sit: cf. F. sessile.] 1. Attached without any sensible projecting support.

2. (Bot.) Resting directly upon the main stem or branch, without a petiole or footstalk; as, a sessile leaf or blossom.

3. (Zoöl.) Permanently attached; - - said of the gonophores of certain hydroids which never became detached.

Ses"sile-eyed` (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having eyes which are not elevated on a stalk; -- opposed to stalk-eyed.

Sessile-eyed Crustacea, the Arthrostraca.

Ses"sion (?), n. [L. sessio, fr. sedere, sessum, to sit: cf. F. session. See Sit.] 1. The act of sitting, or the state of being seated. [Archaic]

So much his ascension into heaven and his session at the right hand of God do import.

Hooker.

But Viven, gathering somewhat of his mood, . . . Leaped from her session on his lap, and stood.

Tennyson.

2. The actual sitting of a court, council, legislature, etc., or the actual assembly of the members of such a body, for the transaction of business.

It's fit this royal session do proceed.

Shak.

3. Hence, also, the time, period, or term during which a court, council, legislature, etc., meets daily for business; or, the space of time between the first meeting and the prorogation or adjournment; thus, a session of Parliaments is opened with a speech from the throne, and closed by prorogation. The session of a judicial court is called a term.

It was resolved that the convocation should meet at the beginning of the next session of Parliament.

Macaulay.

Sessions, in some of the States, is particularly used as a title for a court of justices, held for granting licenses to innkeepers, etc., and for laying out highways, and the like; it is also the title of several courts of criminal jurisdiction in England and the United States.

Church session, the lowest court in the Presbyterian Church, composed of the pastor and a body of elders elected by the members of a particular church, and having the care of matters pertaining to the religious interests of that church, as the admission and dismission of members, discipline, etc. -- Court of Session, the supreme civil court of Scotland. -- Quarter sessions. (Eng.Law) See under Quarter. -- Sessions of the peace, sittings held by justices of the peace. [Eng.]

Ses"sion*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a session or sessions.

Sess"pool` (?), n. [Prov. E. suss hogwash, soss a dirty mess, a puddle + E. pool a puddle; cf. Gael. ses a coarse mess.] Same as Cesspool.

Ses"terce (?), n. [L. sestertius (sc. nummus), fr. sestertius two and a half; semis half + tertius third: cf. F. sesterce.] (Rom. Antiq.) A Roman coin or denomination of money, in value the fourth part of a denarius, and originally containing two asses and a half, afterward four asses, -- equal to about two pence sterling, or four cents.

The sestertium was equivalent to one thousand sesterces, equal to £8 17s 1d. sterling, or about $43, before the reign of Augustus. After his reign its value was about £7 16s. 3d. sterling. The sesterce was originally coined only in silver, but later both in silver and brass.

Ses*tet" (?), n. [It. sestetto, fr. sesto sixth, L. sextus, fr. sex six.] 1. (Mus.) A piece of music composed for six voices or six instruments; a sextet; -- called also sestuor. [Written also sestett, sestette.]

2. (Poet.) The last six lines of a sonnet.

||Ses*tet"to (?), n.[It.] (Mus.) A sestet.

Ses"tine (?), n. See Sextain.

Ses"tu*or (?), n. [F.] A sestet.

Set (st), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Set; p. pr. & vb. n. Setting.] [OE. setten, AS. setton; akin to OS. settian, OFries. setta, D. zetten, OHG. sezzen, G. setzen, Icel. setja, Sw. sätta, Dan. s&?;tte, Goth. satjan; causative from the root of E. sit. &radic;154. See Sit, and cf. Seize.] 1. To cause to sit; to make to assume a specified position or attitude; to give site or place to; to place; to put; to fix; as, to set a house on a stone foundation; to set a book on a shelf; to set a dish on a table; to set a chest or trunk on its bottom or on end.

I do set my bow in the cloud.

Gen. ix. 13.

2. Hence, to attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place.

Set your affection on things above.

Col. iii. 2.

The Lord set a mark upon Cain.

Gen. iv. 15.

3. To make to assume specified place, condition, or occupation; to put in a certain condition or state (described by the accompanying words); to cause to be.

The Lord thy God will set thee on high.

Deut. xxviii. 1.

I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother.

Matt. x. 35.

Every incident sets him thinking.

Coleridge.

4. To fix firmly; to make fast, permanent, or stable; to render motionless; to give an unchanging place, form, or condition to. Specifically: --

(a) To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot; hence, to occasion difficulty to; to embarrass; as, to set a coach in the mud.

They show how hard they are set in this particular.

Addison.

(b) To fix beforehand; to determine; hence, to make unyielding or obstinate; to render stiff, unpliant, or rigid; as, to set one's countenance.

His eyes were set by reason of his age.

1 Kings xiv. 4.

On these three objects his heart was set.

Macaulay.

Make my heart as a millstone, set my face as a flint.

Tennyson.

(c) To fix in the ground, as a post or a tree; to plant; as, to set pear trees in an orchard.

(d) To fix, as a precious stone, in a border of metal; to place in a setting; hence, to place in or amid something which serves as a setting; as, to set glass in a sash.

And him too rich a jewel to be set In vulgar metal for a vulgar use.

Dryden.

(e) To render stiff or solid; especially, to convert into curd; to curdle; as, to set milk for cheese.

5. To put into a desired position or condition; to adjust; to regulate; to adapt. Specifically: --

(a) To put in order in a particular manner; to prepare; as, to set (that is, to hone) a razor; to set a saw.

Tables for to sette, and beddes make.

Chaucer.

(b) To extend and bring into position; to spread; as, to set the sails of a ship.

(c) To give a pitch to, as a tune; to start by fixing the keynote; as, to set a psalm. Fielding.

(d) To reduce from a dislocated or fractured state; to replace; as, to set a broken bone.

(e) To make to agree with some standard; as, to set a watch or a clock.

(f) (Masonry) To lower into place and fix solidly, as the blocks of cut stone in a structure.

6. To stake at play; to wager; to risk.

I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die.

Shak.

7. To fit with music; to adapt, as words to notes; to prepare for singing.

Set thy own songs, and sing them to thy lute.

Dryden.

8. To determine; to appoint; to assign; to fix; as, to set a time for a meeting; to set a price on a horse.

9. To adorn with something infixed or affixed; to stud; to variegate with objects placed here and there.

High on their heads, with jewels richly set, Each lady wore a radiant coronet.

Dryden.

Pastoral dales thin set with modern farms.

Wordsworth.

10. To value; to rate; -- with at.

Be you contented, wearing now the garland, To have a son set your decrees at naught.

Shak.

I do not set my life at a pin's fee.

Shak.

11. To point out the seat or position of, as birds, or other game; -- said of hunting dogs.

12. To establish as a rule; to furnish; to prescribe; to assign; as, to set an example; to set lessons to be learned.

13. To suit; to become; as, it sets him ill. [Scot.]

14. (Print.) To compose; to arrange in words, lines, etc.; as, to set type; to set a page.

To set abroach. See Abroach. [Obs.] Shak. -- To set against, to oppose; to set in comparison with, or to oppose to, as an equivalent in exchange; as, to set one thing against another. -- To set agoing, to cause to move. -- To set apart, to separate to a particular use; to separate from the rest; to reserve. -- To set a saw, to bend each tooth a little, every alternate one being bent to one side, and the intermediate ones to the other side, so that the opening made by the saw may be a little wider than the thickness of the back, to prevent the saw from sticking. -- To set aside. (a) To leave out of account; to pass by; to omit; to neglect; to reject; to annul.

Setting aside all other considerations, I will endeavor to know the truth, and yield to that.

Tillotson.

(b) To set apart; to reserve; as, to set aside part of one's income. (c) (Law) See under Aside. -- To set at defiance, to defy. -- To set at ease, to quiet; to tranquilize; as, to set the heart at ease. -- To set at naught, to undervalue; to contemn; to despise. "Ye have set at naught all my counsel." Prov. i. 25. -- To set a trap, snare, or gin, to put it in a proper condition or position to catch prey; hence, to lay a plan to deceive and draw another into one's power. -- To set at work, or To set to work. (a) To cause to enter on work or action, or to direct how tu enter on work. (b) To apply one's self; -- used reflexively. -- To set before. (a) To bring out to view before; to exhibit. (b) To propose for choice to; to offer to. -- To set by. (a) To set apart or on one side; to reject. (b) To attach the value of (anything) to. "I set not a straw by thy dreamings." Chaucer. -- To set by the compass, to observe and note the bearing or situation of by the compass. -- To set case, to suppose; to assume. Cf. Put case, under Put, v. t. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To set down. (a) To enter in writing; to register.

Some rules were to be set down for the government of the army.

Clarendon.

(b) To fix; to establish; to ordain.

This law we may name eternal, being that order which God . . . hath set down with himself, for himself to do all things by.

Hooker.

(c) To humiliate. -- To set eyes on, to see; to behold; to fasten the eyes on. -- To set fire to, or To set on fire, to communicate fire to; fig., to inflame; to enkindle the passions of; to irritate. -- To set flying (Naut.), to hook to halyards, sheets, etc., instead of extending with rings or the like on a stay; -- said of a sail. -- To set forth. (a) To manifest; to offer or present to view; to exhibt; to display. (b) To publish; to promulgate; to make appear. Waller. (c) To send out; to prepare and send. [Obs.]

The Venetian admiral had a fleet of sixty galleys, set forth by the Venetians.

Knolles.

-- To set forward. (a) To cause to advance. (b) To promote. -- To set free, to release from confinement, imprisonment, or bondage; to liberate; to emancipate. -- To set in, to put in the way; to begin; to give a start to. [Obs.]

If you please to assist and set me in, I will recollect myself.

Collier.

-- To set in order, to adjust or arrange; to reduce to method. "The rest will I set in order when I come." 1 Cor. xi. 34. -- To set milk. (a) To expose it in open dishes in order that the cream may rise to the surface. (b) To cause it to become curdled as by the action of rennet. See 4 (e). -- To set much, or little, by, to care much, or little, for. -- To set of, to value; to set by. [Obs.] "I set not an haw of his proverbs." Chaucer. -- To set off. (a) To separate from a whole; to assign to a particular purpose; to portion off; as, to set off a portion of an estate. (b) To adorn; to decorate; to embellish.

They . . . set off the worst faces with the best airs.

Addison.

(c) To give a flattering description of. - - To set off against, to place against as an equivalent; as, to set off one man's services against another's. -- To set on or upon. (a) To incite; to instigate. "Thou, traitor, hast set on thy wife to this." Shak. (b) To employ, as in a task. " Set on thy wife to observe." Shak. (c) To fix upon; to attach strongly to; as, to set one's heart or affections on some object. See definition 2, above. -- To set one's cap for. See under Cap, n. -- To set one's self against, to place one's self in a state of enmity or opposition to. -- To set one's teeth, to press them together tightly. -- To set on foot, to set going; to put in motion; to start. -- To set out. (a) To assign; to allot; to mark off; to limit; as, to set out the share of each proprietor or heir of an estate; to set out the widow's thirds. (b) To publish, as a proclamation. [Obs.] (c) To adorn; to embellish.

An ugly woman, in rich habit set out with jewels, nothing can become.

Dryden.

(d) To raise, equip, and send forth; to furnish. [R.]

The Venetians pretend they could set out, in case of great necessity, thirty men-of-war.

Addison.

(e) To show; to display; to recommend; to set off.

I could set out that best side of Luther.

Atterbury.

(f) To show; to prove. [R.] "Those very reasons set out how heinous his sin was." Atterbury. (g) (Law) To recite; to state at large. -- To set over. (a) To appoint or constitute as supervisor, inspector, ruler, or commander. (b) To assign; to transfer; to convey. -- To set right, to correct; to put in order. -- To set sail. (Naut.) See under Sail, n. -- To set store by, to consider valuable. -- To set the fashion, to determine what shall be the fashion; to establish the mode. -- To set the teeth on edge, to affect the teeth with a disagreeable sensation, as when acids are brought in contact with them. -- To set the watch (Naut.), to place the starboard or port watch on duty. -- To set to, to attach to; to affix to. "He . . . hath set to his seal that God is true." John iii. 33. -- To set up. (a) To erect; to raise; to elevate; as, to set up a building, or a machine; to set up a post, a wall, a pillar. (b) Hence, to exalt; to put in power. "I will . . . set up the throne of David over Israel." 2 Sam. iii. 10. (c) To begin, as a new institution; to institute; to establish; to found; as, to set up a manufactory; to set up a school. (d) To enable to commence a new business; as, to set up a son in trade. (e) To place in view; as, to set up a mark. (f) To raise; to utter loudly; as, to set up the voice.

I'll set up such a note as she shall hear.

Dryden.

(g) To advance; to propose as truth or for reception; as, to set up a new opinion or doctrine. T. Burnet. (h) To raise from depression, or to a sufficient fortune; as, this good fortune quite set him up. (i) To intoxicate. [Slang] (j) (Print.) To put in type; as, to set up copy; to arrange in words, lines, etc., ready for printing; as, to set up type. -- To set up the rigging (Naut.), to make it taut by means of tackles. R. H. Dana, Jr.

Syn. -- See Put.

Set (st), v. i. 1. To pass below the horizon; to go down; to decline; to sink out of sight; to come to an end.

Ere the weary sun set in the west.

Shak.

Thus this century sets with little mirth, and the next is likely to arise with more mourning.

Fuller.

2. To fit music to words. [Obs.] Shak.

3. To place plants or shoots in the ground; to plant. "To sow dry, and set wet." Old Proverb.

4. To be fixed for growth; to strike root; to begin to germinate or form; as, cuttings set well; the fruit has set well (i. e., not blasted in the blossom).

5. To become fixed or rigid; to be fastened.

A gathering and serring of the spirits together to resist, maketh the teeth to set hard one against another.

Bacon.

6. To congeal; to concrete; to solidify.

That fluid substance in a few minutes begins to set.

Boyle.

7. To have a certain direction in motion; to flow; to move on; to tend; as, the current sets to the north; the tide sets to the windward.

8. To begin to move; to go out or forth; to start; -- now followed by out.

The king is set from London.

Shak.

9. To indicate the position of game; -- said of a dog; as, the dog sets well; also, to hunt game by the aid of a setter.

10. To apply one's self; to undertake earnestly; -- now followed by out.

If he sets industriously and sincerely to perform the commands of Christ, he can have no ground of doubting but it shall prove successful to him.

Hammond.

11. To fit or suit one; to sit; as, the coat sets well. [Colloquially used, but improperly, for sit.]

The use of the verb set for sit in such expressions as, the hen is setting on thirteen eggs; a setting hen, etc., although colloquially common, and sometimes tolerated in serious writing, is not to be approved.

To set about, to commence; to begin. -- To set forward, to move or march; to begin to march; to advance. -- To set forth, to begin a journey. -- To set in. (a) To begin; to enter upon a particular state; as, winter set in early. (b) To settle one's self; to become established. "When the weather was set in to be very bad." Addison. (c) To flow toward the shore; -- said of the tide. -- To set off. (a) To enter upon a journey; to start. (b) (Typog.) To deface or soil the next sheet; -- said of the ink on a freshly printed sheet, when another sheet comes in contact with it before it has had time to dry. -- To set on or upon. (a) To begin, as a journey or enterprise; to set about.

He that would seriously set upon the search of truth.

Locke.

(b) To assault; to make an attack. Bacon.

Cassio hath here been set on in the dark.

Shak.

-- To set out, to begin a journey or course; as, to set out for London, or from London; to set out in business;to set out in life or the world. -- To set to, to apply one's self to. -- To set up. (a) To begin business or a scheme of life; as, to set up in trade; to set up for one's self. (b) To profess openly; to make pretensions.

Those men who set up for mortality without regard to religion, are generally but virtuous in part.

Swift.

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Set (?), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance.

2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices.

3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set battle. "The set phrase of peace." Shak.

4. Established; prescribed; as, set forms of prayer.

5. Adjusted; arranged; formed; adapted.

Set hammer. (a) A hammer the head of which is not tightly fastened upon the handle, but may be reversed. Knight. (b) A hammer with a concave face which forms a die for shaping anything, as the end of a bolt, rivet, etc. -- Set line, a line to which a number of baited hooks are attached, and which, supported by floats and properly secured, may be left unguarded during the absence of the fisherman. -- Set nut, a jam nut or lock nut. See under Nut. -- Set screw (Mach.), a screw, sometimes cupped or printed at one end, and screwed through one part, as of a machine, tightly upon another part, to prevent the one from slipping upon the other. -- Set speech, a speech carefully prepared before it is delivered in public; a formal or methodical speech.

Set, n. 1. The act of setting, as of the sun or other heavenly body; descent; hence, the close; termination. "Locking at the set of day." Tennyson.

The weary sun hath made a golden set.

Shak.

2. That which is set, placed, or fixed. Specifically: -- (a) A young plant for growth; as, a set of white thorn. (b) That which is staked; a wager; a venture; a stake; hence, a game at venture. [Obs. or R.]

We will in France, by God's grace, play a set Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.

Shak.

That was but civil war, an equal set.

Dryden.

(c) (Mech.) Permanent change of figure in consequence of excessive strain, as from compression, tension, bending, twisting, etc.; as, the set of a spring.

(d) A kind of punch used for bending, indenting, or giving shape to, metal; as, a saw set.

(e) (Pile Driving) A piece placed temporarily upon the head of a pile when the latter cannot be reached by the weight, or hammer, except by means of such an intervening piece. [Often incorrectly written sett.]

(f) (Carp.) A short steel spike used for driving the head of a nail below the surface.

3. [Perhaps due to confusion with sect, sept.] A number of things of the same kind, ordinarily used or classed together; a collection of articles which naturally complement each other, and usually go together; an assortment; a suit; as, a set of chairs, of china, of surgical or mathematical instruments, of books, etc. [In this sense, sometimes incorrectly written sett.]

4. A number of persons associated by custom, office, common opinion, quality, or the like; a division; a group; a clique. "Others of our set." Tennyson.

This falls into different divisions, or sets, of nations connected under particular religions.

R. P. Ward.

5. Direction or course; as, the set of the wind, or of a current.

6. In dancing, the number of persons necessary to execute a quadrille; also, the series of figures or movements executed.

7. The deflection of a tooth, or of the teeth, of a saw, which causes the the saw to cut a kerf, or make an opening, wider than the blade.

8. (a) A young oyster when first attached. (b) Collectively, the crop of young oysters in any locality.

9. (Tennis) A series of as many games as may be necessary to enable one side to win six. If at the end of the tenth game the score is a tie, the set is usually called a deuce set, and decided by an application of the rules for playing off deuce in a game. See Deuce.

10. (Type Founding) That dimension of the body of a type called by printers the width.

Dead set. (a) The act of a setter dog when it discovers the game, and remains intently fixed in pointing it out. (b) A fixed or stationary condition arising from obstacle or hindrance; a deadlock; as, to be at a dead set. (c) A concerted scheme to defraud by gaming; a determined onset. -- To make a dead set, to make a determined onset, literally or figuratively.

Syn. -- Collection; series; group. See Pair.

||Se"ta (?), n.; pl. Setæ. [L. seta, saeta, a bristle.] 1. (Biol.) Any ||slender, more or less rigid, bristlelike organ or part; as the hairs ||of a caterpillar, the slender spines of a crustacean, the hairlike ||processes of a protozoan, the bristles or stiff hairs on the leaves ||of some plants, or the pedicel of the capsule of a moss.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the movable chitinous spines or hooks of an annelid. They usually arise in clusters from muscular capsules, and are used in locomotion and for defense. They are very diverse in form. (b) One of the spinelike feathers at the base of the bill of certain birds.

Se*ta"ceous (?), a. [L. seta a bristle: cf. F. sétacé.] 1. Set with, or consisting of, bristles; bristly; as, a stiff, setaceous tail.

2. Bristelike in form or texture; as, a setaceous feather; a setaceous leaf.

Set"back` (?), n. 1. (Arch.) Offset, n., 4.

2. A backset; a countercurrent; an eddy. [U. S.]

3. A backset; a check; a repulse; a reverse; a relapse. [Colloq. U.S.]

Set"bolt` (?), n. (Shipbuilding) 1. An iron pin, or bolt, for fitting planks closely together. Craig.

2. A bolt used for forcing another bolt out of its hole.

Set"down` (?), n. The humbling of a person by act or words, especially by a retort or a reproof; the retort or the reproof which has such effect.

Set*ee" (?), n. (Naut.) See 2d Settee.

Set"en (?), obs. imp. pl. of Sit. Sat. Chaucer.

Set"e*wale (?), n. See Cetewale. [Obs.]

Set"-fair` (?), n. In plastering, a particularly good troweled surface. Knight.

Set"foil` (?), n. See Septfoil.

Seth"en (?), adv. & conj. See Since. [Obs.]

Seth"ic (?), a. See Sothic.

Se*tif"er*ous (?), a. [L. seta a bristle + -ferous.] Producing, or having one or more, bristles.

Se"ti*form (?), a. [Seta + - form: cf. F. sétiforme.] Having the form or structure of setæ.

Se"ti*ger (?), n. [NL. See Setigerous.] (Zoöl.) An annelid having setæ; a chætopod.

Se*tig"er*ous (?), a. [Seta + -gerous.] Covered with bristles; having or bearing a seta or setæ; setiferous; as, setigerous glands; a setigerous segment of an annelid; specifically (Bot.), tipped with a bristle.

Se"tim (?), n. See Shittim.

Se*tip"a*rous (?), a. [Seta + L. papere to produce.] (Zoöl.) Producing setæ; -- said of the organs from which the setæ of annelids arise.

Se"ti*reme (?), n. [Seta + L. remus an oar.] (Zoöl.) A swimming leg (of an insect) having a fringe of hairs on the margin.

Set"ness (?), n. The quality or state of being set; formality; obstinacy. "The starched setness of a sententious writer." R. Masters.

Set"-off` (?), n. [Set + off.] 1. That which is set off against another thing; an offset.

I do not contemplate such a heroine as a set-off to the many sins imputed to me as committed against woman.

D. Jerrold.

2. That which is used to improve the appearance of anything; a decoration; an ornament.

3. (Law) A counterclaim; a cross debt or demand; a distinct claim filed or set up by the defendant against the plaintiff's demand.

Set-off differs from recoupment, as the latter generally grows out of the same matter or contract with the plaintiff's claim, while the former grows out of distinct matter, and does not of itself deny the justice of the plaintiff's demand. Offset is sometimes improperly used for the legal term set- off. See Recoupment.

4. (Arch.) Same as Offset, n., 4.

5. (Print.) See Offset, 7.

Syn. -- Set-off, Offset. -- Offset originally denoted that which branches off or projects, as a shoot from a tree, but the term has long been used in America in the sense of set-off. This use is beginning to obtain in England; though Macaulay uses set-off, and so, perhaps, do a majority of English writers.

Se"ton (?), n. [F. séton (cf. It. setone), from L. seta a thick, stiff hair, a bristle.] (Med. & Far.) A few silk threads or horsehairs, or a strip of linen or the like, introduced beneath the skin by a knife or needle, so as to form an issue; also, the issue so formed.

{ Se*tose" (?), Se"tous (?), } a. [L. setosus, saetosus, from seta, saeta, bristle: cf. F. séteux.] Thickly set with bristles or bristly hairs.

Set"out` (?), n. A display, as of plate, equipage, etc.; that which is displayed. [Coloq.] Dickens.

Set"-stitched` (?), a. Stitched according to a formal pattern. "An old set-stiched chair, valanced, and fringed with party-colored worsted bobs." Sterne.

Sett (?), n. See Set, n., 2 (e) and 3.

Set*tee" (?), n. [From Set; cf. Settle a seat.] A long seat with a back, -- made to accommodate several persons at once.

Set*tee", n. [F. scétie, scitie.] (Naut.) A vessel with a very long, sharp prow, carrying two or three masts with lateen sails, -- used in the Mediterranean. [Written also setee.]

Set"ter (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, sets; -- used mostly in composition with a noun, as typesetter; or in combination with an adverb, as a setter on (or inciter), a setter up, a setter forth.

2. (Zoöl.) A hunting dog of a special breed originally derived from a cross between the spaniel and the pointer. Modern setters are usually trained to indicate the position of game birds by standing in a fixed position, but originally they indicated it by sitting or crouching.

There are several distinct varieties of setters; as, the Irish, or red, setter; the Gordon setter, which is usually red or tan varied with black; and the English setter, which is variously colored, but usually white and tawny red, with or without black.

3. One who hunts victims for sharpers. Shak.

4. One who adapts words to music in composition.

5. An adornment; a decoration; -- with off. [Obs.]

They come as . . . setters off of thy graces.

Whitlock.

6. (Pottery) A shallow seggar for porcelain. Ure.

Set"ter, v. t. To cut the dewlap (of a cow or an ox), and to insert a seton, so as to cause an issue. [Prov. Eng.]

Set"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The bear's-foot (Helleborus fœtidus); -- so called because the root was used in settering, or inserting setons into the dewlaps of cattle. Called also pegroots. Dr. Prior.

Set"ting (?), n. 1. The act of one who, or that which, sets; as, the setting of type, or of gems; the setting of the sun; the setting (hardening) of moist plaster of Paris; the setting (set) of a current.

2. The act of marking the position of game, as a setter does; also, hunting with a setter. Boyle.

3. Something set in, or inserted.

Thou shalt set in it settings of stones.

Ex. xxviii. 17.

4. That in which something, as a gem, is set; as, the gold setting of a jeweled pin.

Setting coat (Arch.), the finishing or last coat of plastering on walls or ceilings. -- Setting dog, a setter. See Setter, n., 2. -- Setting pole, a pole, often iron- pointed, used for pushing boats along in shallow water. -- Setting rule. (Print.) A composing rule.

Set"tle (?), n. [OE. setel, setil, a seat, AS. setl: akin to OHG. sezzal, G. sessel, Goth. sitls, and E. sit. &radic;154. See Sit.] 1. A seat of any kind. [Obs.] "Upon the settle of his majesty" Hampole.

2. A bench; especially, a bench with a high back.

3. A place made lower than the rest; a wide step or platform lower than some other part.

And from the bottom upon the ground, even to the lower settle, shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit.

Ezek. xliii. 14.

Settle bed, a bed convertible into a seat. [Eng.]

Set"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Settled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Settling (?).] [OE. setlen, AS. setlan. &radic;154. See Settle, n. In senses 7, 8, and 9 perhaps confused with OE. sahtlen to reconcile, AS. sahtlian, fr. saht reconciliation, sacon to contend, dispute. Cf. Sake.] 1. To place in a fixed or permanent condition; to make firm, steady, or stable; to establish; to fix; esp., to establish in life; to fix in business, in a home, or the like.

And he settled his countenance steadfastly upon him, until he was ashamed.

2 Kings viii. 11. (Rev. Ver.)

The father thought the time drew on Of setting in the world his only son.

Dryden.

2. To establish in the pastoral office; to ordain or install as pastor or rector of a church, society, or parish; as, to settle a minister. [U. S.]

3. To cause to be no longer in a disturbed condition; to render quiet; to still; to calm; to compose.

God settled then the huge whale-bearing lake.

Chapman.

Hoping that sleep might settle his brains.

Bunyan.

4. To clear of dregs and impurities by causing them to sink; to render pure or clear; -- said of a liquid; as, to settle coffee, or the grounds of coffee.

5. To restore or bring to a smooth, dry, or passable condition; -- said of the ground, of roads, and the like; as, clear weather settles the roads.

6. To cause to sink; to lower; to depress; hence, also, to render close or compact; as, to settle the contents of a barrel or bag by shaking it.

7. To determine, as something which is exposed to doubt or question; to free from unscertainty or wavering; to make sure, firm, or constant; to establish; to compose; to quiet; as, to settle the mind when agitated; to settle questions of law; to settle the succession to a throne; to settle an allowance.

It will settle the wavering, and confirm the doubtful.

Swift.

8. To adjust, as something in discussion; to make up; to compose; to pacify; as, to settle a quarrel.

9. To adjust, as accounts; to liquidate; to balance; as, to settle an account.

10. Hence, to pay; as, to settle a bill. [Colloq.] Abbott.

11. To plant with inhabitants; to colonize; to people; as, the French first settled Canada; the Puritans settled New England; Plymouth was settled in 1620.

To settle on or upon, to confer upon by permanent grant; to assure to. "I . . . have settled upon him a good annuity." Addison. -- To settle the land (Naut.), to cause it to sink, or appear lower, by receding from it.

Syn. -- To fix; establish; regulate; arrange; compose; adjust; determine; decide.

Set"tle, v. i. 1. To become fixed or permanent; to become stationary; to establish one's self or itself; to assume a lasting form, condition, direction, or the like, in place of a temporary or changing state.

The wind came about and settled in the west.

Bacon.

Chyle . . . runs through all the intermediate colors until it settles in an intense red.

Arbuthnot.

2. To fix one's residence; to establish a dwelling place or home; as, the Saxons who settled in Britain.

3. To enter into the married state, or the state of a householder.

As people marry now and settle.

Prior.

4. To be established in an employment or profession; as, to settle in the practice of law.

5. To become firm, dry, and hard, as the ground after the effects of rain or frost have disappeared; as, the roads settled late in the spring.

6. To become clear after being turbid or obscure; to clarify by depositing matter held in suspension; as, the weather settled; wine settles by standing.

A government, on such occasions, is always thick before it settles.

Addison.

7. To sink to the bottom; to fall to the bottom, as dregs of a liquid, or the sediment of a reserveir.

8. To sink gradually to a lower level; to subside, as the foundation of a house, etc.

9. To become calm; to cease from agitation.

Till the fury of his highness settle, Come not before him.

Shak.

10. To adjust differences or accounts; to come to an agreement; as, he has settled with his creditors.

11. To make a jointure for a wife.

He sighs with most success that settles well.

Garth.

Set"tled*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being settled; confirmed state. [R.] Bp. Hall.

Set"tle*ment (?), n. 1. The act of setting, or the state of being settled. Specifically: --

(a) Establishment in life, in business, condition, etc.; ordination or installation as pastor.

Every man living has a design in his head upon wealth power, or settlement in the world.

L'Estrange.

(b) The act of peopling, or state of being peopled; act of planting, as a colony; colonization; occupation by settlers; as, the settlement of a new country.

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(c) The act or process of adjusting or determining; composure of doubts or differences; pacification; liquidation of accounts; arrangement; adjustment; as, settlement of a controversy, of accounts, etc.

(d) Bestowal, or giving possession, under legal sanction; the act of giving or conferring anything in a formal and permanent manner.

My flocks, my fields, my woods, my pastures take, With settlement as good as law can make.

Dryden.

(e) (Law) A disposition of property for the benefit of some person or persons, usually through the medium of trustees, and for the benefit of a wife, children, or other relatives; jointure granted to a wife, or the act of granting it.

2. That which settles, or is settled, established, or fixed. Specifically: --

(a) Matter that subsides; settlings; sediment; lees; dregs. [Obs.]

Fuller's earth left a thick settlement.

Mortimer.

(b) A colony newly established; a place or region newly settled; as, settlement in the West.

(c) That which is bestowed formally and permanently; the sum secured to a person; especially, a jointure made to a woman at her marriage; also, in the United States, a sum of money or other property formerly granted to a pastor in additional to his salary.

3. (Arch.) (a) The gradual sinking of a building, whether by the yielding of the ground under the foundation, or by the compression of the joints or the material. (b) pl. Fractures or dislocations caused by settlement.

4. (Law) A settled place of abode; residence; a right growing out of residence; legal residence or establishment of a person in a particular parish or town, which entitles him to maintenance if a pauper, and subjects the parish or town to his support. Blackstone. Bouvier.

Act of settlement (Eng. Hist.), the statute of 12 and 13 William III, by which the crown was limited to the present reigning house (the house of Hanover). Blackstone.

Set"tler (?), n. 1. One who settles, becomes fixed, established, etc.

2. Especially, one who establishes himself in a new region or a colony; a colonist; a planter; as, the first settlers of New England.

3. That which settles or finishes; hence, a blow, etc., which settles or decides a contest. [Colloq.]

4. A vessel, as a tub, in which something, as pulverized ore suspended in a liquid, is allowed to settle.

Set"tling (?), n. 1. The act of one who, or that which, settles; the act of establishing one's self, of colonizing, subsiding, adjusting, etc.

2. pl. That which settles at the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs; sediment. Milton.

Settling day, a day for settling accounts, as in the stock market.

Set"-to` (?), n. A contest in boxing, in an argument, or the like. [Colloq.] Halliwell.

||Set"u*la (?), n.; pl. Setulæ (#). [L. setula, saetula, dim. of seta, ||saeta, bristle.] A small, short hair or bristle; a small seta.

Set"ule (?), n. [See Setula.] A setula.

Set"u*lose` (?), a. Having small bristles or setæ.

Set"wall` (?), n. [CF. Cetewale.] (Bot.) A plant formerly valued for its restorative qualities (Valeriana officinalis, or V. Pyrenaica). [Obs.] [Written also setwal.] Chaucer.

Sev"en (?), a. [OE. seven, seoven, seofen, AS. seofon, seofan, seofen; akin to D. zeven, OS., Goth., & OHG. sibun, G. sieben, Icel. sjau, sjö, Sw. sju, Dan. syv, Lith. septyni, Russ. seme, W. saith, Gael. seachd, Ir. seacht, L. septem, Gr. &?;&?;&?;, Skr. saptan. &radic;305. Cf. Hebdomad, Heptagon, September.] One more than six; six and one added; as, seven days make one week.

Seven sciences. See the Note under Science, n., 4. -- Seven stars (Astron.), the Pleiades. -- Seven wonders of the world. See under Wonders. -- Seven-year apple (Bot.), a rubiaceous shrub (Genipa clusiifolia) growing in the West Indies; also, its edible fruit. -- Seven-year vine (Bot.), a tropical climbing plant (Ipomœa tuberosa) related to the morning- glory.

Sev"en, n. 1. The number greater by one than six; seven units or objects.

Of every beast, and bird, and insect small, Game sevens and pairs.

Milton.

2. A symbol representing seven units, as 7, or vii.

Sev"en*fold` (?), a. Repeated seven times; having seven thicknesses; increased to seven times the size or amount. "Sevenfold rage." Milton.

Sev"en*fold`, adv. Seven times as much or as often.

Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.

Gen. iv. 15.

Seven"night (?), n. A week; any period of seven consecutive days and nights. See Sennight.

Sev"en*score` (?), n. & a. Seven times twenty, that is, a hundred and forty.

The old Countess of Desmond . . . lived sevenscore years.

Bacon.

Sev"en-shoot`er (?), n. A firearm, esp. a pistol, with seven barrels or chambers for cartridges, or one capable of firing seven shots without reloading. [Colloq.]

Sev"en*teen` (?), a. [OE. seventene, AS. seofontne, i. e., seven- ten. Cf. Seventy.] One more than sixteen; ten and seven added; as, seventeen years.

Sev"en*teen`, n. 1. The number greater by one than sixteen; the sum of ten and seven; seventeen units or objects.

2. A symbol denoting seventeen units, as 17, or xvii.

Sev"en*teenth` (?), a. [From Seventeen: cf. AS. seofonteóða, seofonteogeða.] 1. Next in order after the sixteenth; coming after sixteen others.

In . . . the seventeenth day of the month . . . were all the fountains of the great deep broken up.

Gen. vii. 11.

2. Constituting or being one of seventeen equal parts into which anything is divided.

Sev"en*teenth` (?), n. 1. The next in order after the sixteenth; one coming after sixteen others.

2. The quotient of a unit divided by seventeen; one of seventeen equal parts or divisions of one whole.

3. (Mus.) An interval of two octaves and a third.

Sev"enth (?), a. [From Seven: cf. AS. seofoða.] 1. Next in order after the sixth;; coming after six others.

On the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Gen. ii. 2.

2. Constituting or being one of seven equal parts into which anything is divided; as, the seventh part.

Seventh day, the seventh day of the week; Saturday. -- Seventh-day Baptists. See under Baptist.

Sev"enth, n. 1. One next in order after the sixth; one coming after six others.

2. The quotient of a unit divided by seven; one of seven equal parts into which anything is divided.

3. (Mus.) (a) An interval embracing seven diatonic degrees of the scale. (b) A chord which includes the interval of a seventh whether major, minor, or diminished.

Sev`en-thir"ties (?), n. pl. A name given to three several issues of United States Treasury notes, made during the Civil War, in denominations of $50 and over, bearing interest at the rate of seven and three tenths (thirty hundredths) per cent annually. Within a few years they were all redeemed or funded.

Sev"enth*ly (?), adv. In the seventh place.

Sev"en*ti*eth (?), a. [AS. hund- seofontigoða.] 1. Next in order after the sixty-ninth; as, a man in the seventieth year of his age.

2. Constituting or being one of seventy equal parts.

Sev"en*ti*eth, n. 1. One next in order after the sixty-ninth.

2. The quotient of a unit divided by seventy; one of seventy equal parts or fractions.

Sev"en*ty (?), a. [AS. hund- seofontig. See Seven, and Ten, and cf. Seventeen, Sixty.] Seven times ten; one more than sixty-nine.

Sev"en*ty, n.; pl. Seventies (&?;). 1. The sum of seven times ten; seventy units or objects.

2. A symbol representing seventy units, as 70, or lxx.

The Seventy, the translators of the Greek version of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. See Septuagint.

Sev`en*ty-four" (?), n. (Naut.) A naval vessel carrying seventy-four guns.

Sev"en-up`, n. The game of cards called also all fours, and old sledge. [U. S.]

Sev"er (?), v. t. [imp. &. p. p. Severed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Severing.] [OF. sevrer, severer, to separate, F. sevrer to wean, fr. L. separare. See Separate, and cf. Several.] 1. To separate, as one from another; to cut off from something; to divide; to part in any way, especially by violence, as by cutting, rending, etc.; as, to sever the head from the body.

The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.

Matt. xiii. 49.

2. To cut or break open or apart; to divide into parts; to cut through; to disjoin; as, to sever the arm or leg.

Our state can not be severed; we are one.

Milton.

3. To keep distinct or apart; to except; to exempt.

I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there.

Ex. viii. 22.

4. (Law) To disunite; to disconnect; to terminate; as, to sever an estate in joint tenancy. Blackstone.

Sev"er, v. i. 1. To suffer disjunction; to be parted, or rent asunder; to be separated; to part; to separate. Shak.

2. To make a separation or distinction; to distinguish.

The Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt.

Ex. ix. 4.

They claimed the right of severing in their challenge.

Macaulay.

Sev"er*a*ble (?), a. Capable of being severed. Encyc. Dict.

Sev"er*al (?), a. [OF., fr. LL. separalis, fr. L. separ separate, different. See Sever, Separate.] 1. Separate; distinct; particular; single.

Each several ship a victory did gain.

Dryden.

Each might his several province well command, Would all but stoop to what they understand.

Pope.

2. Diverse; different; various. Spenser.

Habits and faculties, several, and to be distinguished.

Bacon.

Four several armies to the field are led.

Dryden.

3. Consisting of a number more than two, but not very many; divers; sundry; as, several persons were present when the event took place.

Sev"er*al, adv. By itself; severally. [Obs.]

Every kind of thing is laid up several in barns or storehoudses.

Robynson (More's Utopia).

Sev"er*al, n. 1. Each particular taken singly; an item; a detail; an individual. [Obs.]

There was not time enough to hear . . . The severals.

Shak.

2. Persons oe objects, more than two, but not very many.

Several of them neither rose from any conspicuous family, nor left any behind them.

Addison.

3. An inclosed or separate place; inclosure. [Obs.]

They had their several for heathen nations, their several for the people of their own nation.

Hooker.

In several, in a state of separation. [R.] "Where pastures in several be." Tusser.

Sev`er*al"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Severalities (&?;). Each particular taken singly; distinction. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

Sev"er*al*ize (?), v. t. To distinguish. [Obs.]

Sev"er*al*ly, adv. Separately; distinctly; apart from others; individually.

There must be an auditor to check and revise each severally by itself.

De Quincey.

Sev"er*al*ty (?), n. A state of separation from the rest, or from all others; a holding by individual right.

Forests which had never been owned in severalty.

Bancroft.

Estate in severalty (Law), an estate which the tenant holds in his own right, without being joined in interest with any other person; -- distinguished from joint tenancy, coparcenary, and common. Blackstone.

Sev"er*ance (?), n. 1. The act of severing, or the state of being severed; partition; separation. Milman.

2. (Law) The act of dividing; the singling or severing of two or more that join, or are joined, in one writ; the putting in several or separate pleas or answers by two or more disjointly; the destruction of the unity of interest in a joint estate. Bouvier.

Se*vere" (?), a. [Compar. Severer (?); superl. Severest.] [L. severus; perhaps akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?; awe, &?;&?;&?; revered, holy, solemn, Goth. swikns innocent, chaste: cf. F. sévère. Cf. Asseverate, Persevere.] 1. Serious in feeeling or manner; sedate; grave; austere; not light, lively, or cheerful.

Your looks alter, as your subject does, From kind to fierce, from wanton to severe.

Waller.

2. Very strict in judgment, discipline, or government; harsh; not mild or indulgent; rigorous; as, severe criticism; severe punishment. "Custody severe." Milton.

Come! you are too severe a moraler.

Shak.

Let your zeal, if it must be expressed in anger, be always more severe against thyself than against others.

Jer. Taylor.

3. Rigidly methodical, or adherent to rule or principle; exactly conformed to a standard; not allowing or employing unneccessary ornament, amplification, etc.; strict; -- said of style, argument, etc. "Restrained by reason and severe principles." Jer. Taylor.

The Latin, a most severe and compendious language.

Dryden.

4. Sharp; afflictive; distressing; violent; extreme; as, severe pain, anguish, fortune; severe cold.

5. Difficult to be endured; exact; critical; rigorous; as, a severe test.

Syn. -- Strict; grave; austere; stern; morose; rigid; exact; rigorous; hard; rough; harsh; censorious; tart; acrimonious; sarcastic; satirical; cutting; biting; keen; bitter; cruel. See Strict.

-- Se*vere"ly, adv. -- Se*vere"ness, n.

Se*ver"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Severities (#). [L. severitas: cf. F. sévérité.] The quality or state of being severe. Specifically: --

(a) Gravity or austerity; extreme strictness; rigor; harshness; as, the severity of a reprimand or a reproof; severity of discipline or government; severity of penalties. "Strict age, and sour severity." Milton.

(b) The quality or power of distressing or paining; extreme degree; extremity; intensity; inclemency; as, the severity of pain or anguish; the severity of cold or heat; the severity of the winter.

(c) Harshness; cruel treatment; sharpness of punishment; as, severity practiced on prisoners of war.

(d) Exactness; rigorousness; strictness; as, the severity of a test.

Confining myself to the severity of truth.

Dryden.

Sev"er*y (?), n. [Prob. corrupted fr. ciborium. Oxf. Gloss.] (Arch.) A bay or compartment of a vaulted ceiling. [Written also civery.]

Sev`o*ca"tion (?), n. [L. sevocare, sevocatum, to call aside.] A calling aside. [Obs.]

Sè"vres blue` (?). A very light blue.

Sè"vres ware` (?). Porcelain manufactured at Sèvres, France, ecpecially in the national factory situated there.

Sew (?), n.[OE. See Sewer household officer.] Juice; gravy; a seasoned dish; a delicacy. [Obs.] Gower.

I will not tell of their strange sewes.

Chaucer.

Sew, v. t. [See Sue to follow.] To follow; to pursue; to sue. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

Sew (?), v. t. [imp. Sewed (?); p. p. Sewed, rarely Sewn (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Sewing.] [OE. sewen, sowen, AS. siówian, swian; akin to OHG. siuwan, Icel. s&?;ja, Sw. sy, Dan. sye, Goth. siujan, Lith. siuti, Russ, shite, L. ssuere, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, Skr. siv. &radic;156. Cf. Seam a suture, Suture.] 1. To unite or fasten together by stitches, as with a needle and thread.

No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment.

Mark ii. 21.

2. To close or stop by ssewing; -- often with up; as, to sew up a rip.

3. To inclose by sewing; -- sometimes with up; as, to sew money in a bag.

Sew, v. i. To practice sewing; to work with needle and thread.

Sew (?), v. t. [&radic;151 b. See Sewer a drain.] To drain, as a pond, for taking the fish. [Obs.] Tusser.

Sew"age (?), n. 1. The contents of a sewer or drain; refuse liquids or matter carried off by sewers

2. Sewerage, 2.

Sewe (?), v. i. To perform the duties of a sewer. See 3d Sewer. [Obs.]

Sew"el (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A scarecrow, generally made of feathers tied to a string, hung up to prevent deer from breaking into a place. Halliwell.

Se*wel"lel (?), n. [Of American Indian origin.] (Zoöl.) A peculiar gregarious burrowing rodent (Haplodon rufus), native of the coast region of the Northwestern United States. It somewhat resembles a muskrat or marmot, but has only a rudimentary tail. Its head is broad, its eyes are small and its fur is brownish above, gray beneath. It constitutes the family Haplodontidæ. Called also boomer, showt'l, and mountain beaver.

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Sew"en (?), n. (Zoöl.) A British trout usually regarded as a variety (var. Cambricus) of the salmon trout.

Sew"er (?), n. 1. One who sews, or stitches.

2. (Zoöl.) A small tortricid moth whose larva sews together the edges of a leaf by means of silk; as, the apple-leaf sewer (Phoxopteris nubeculana)

Sew"er (?), n. [OF. sewiere, seuwiere, ultimately fr. L. ex out + a derivative of aqua water; cf. OF. essevour a drain, essever, esseuwer, essiaver, to cause to flow, to drain, to flow, LL. exaquatorium a channel through which water runs off. Cf. Ewer, Aquarium.] A drain or passage to carry off water and filth under ground; a subterraneous channel, particularly in cities.

Sew"er, n. [Cf. OE. assewer, and asseour, OF. asseour, F. asseoir to seat, to set, L. assidere to sit by; ad + sedere to sit (cf. Sit); or cf. OE. sew pottage, sauce, boiled meat, AS. seáw juice, Skr. su to press out.] Formerly, an upper servant, or household officer, who set on and removed the dishes at a feast, and who also brought water for the hands of the guests.

Then the sewer Poured water from a great and golden ewer, That from their hands to a silver caldron ran.

Chapman.

Sew"er*age (?), n. 1. The construction of a sewer or sewers.

2. The system of sewers in a city, town, etc.; the general drainage of a city or town by means of sewers.

3. The material collected in, and discharged by, sewers. [In this sense sewage is preferable and common.]

Sew"in (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Sewen.

Sew"ing (?), n. 1. The act or occupation of one who sews.

2. That which is sewed with the needle.

Sewing horse (Harness making), a clamp, operated by the foot, for holding pieces of leather while being sewed. -- Sewing machine, a machine for sewing or stitching. -- Sewing press, or Sewing table (Bookbinding), a fixture or table having a frame in which are held the cords to which the back edges of folded sheets are sewed to form a book.

Sew"ster (?), n. A seamstress. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Sex- (?). [L. sex six. See Six.] A combining form meaning six; as, sexdigitism; sexennial.

Sex, n. [L. sexus: cf. F. sexe.] 1. The distinguishing peculiarity of male or female in both animals and plants; the physical difference between male and female; the assemblage of properties or qualities by which male is distinguished from female.

2. One of the two divisions of organic beings formed on the distinction of male and female.

3. (Bot.) (a) The capability in plants of fertilizing or of being fertilized; as, staminate and pistillate flowers are of opposite sexes. (b) One of the groups founded on this distinction.

The sex, the female sex; women, in general.

Sex`a*ge*na"ri*an (?), n. [See Sexagenary.] A person who is sixty years old.

Sex*ag"e*na*ry (?), a. [L. sexagenarius, fr. sexageni sixty each, akin to sexaginta sixty, sex six: cf. sexagénaire. See Six.] Pertaining to, or designating, the number sixty; poceeding by sixties; sixty years old.

Sexagenary arithmetic. See under Sexagesimal. -- Sexagenary, or Sexagesimal, scale (Math.), a scale of numbers in which the modulus is sixty. It is used in treating the divisions of the circle.

Sex*ag"e*na*ry, n. 1. Something composed of sixty parts or divisions.

2. A sexagenarian. Sir W. Scott.

||Sex`a*ges"i*ma (?), n. [L., fem. of sexagesimus sixtieth, fr. ||sexaginta sixty.] (Eccl.) The second Sunday before Lent; -- so called ||as being about the sixtieth day before Easter.

Sex`a*ges"i*mal (?), a. [Cf. F. sexagésimal.] Pertaining to, or founded on, the number sixty.

Sexagesimal fractions or numbers (Arith. & Alg.), those fractions whose denominators are some power of sixty; as, , , ; -- called also astronomical fractions, because formerly there were no others used in astronomical calculations. -- Sexagesimal, or Sexagenary, arithmetic, the method of computing by the sexagenary scale, or by sixties. -- Sexagesimal scale (Math.), the sexagenary scale.

Sex`a*ges"i*mal, n. A sexagesimal fraction.

Sex"an`gle (?), n. [L. sexangulus sexangular; sex six + angulus angle: cf. F. sexangle. Cf. Hexangular.] (Geom.) A hexagon. [R.] Hutton.

{ Sex"an`gled (?), Sex*an"gu*lar (?) } a. [Cf. F. sexangulaire.] Having six angles; hexagonal. [R.] Dryden.

Sex*an"gu*lar*ly, adv. Hexagonally. [R.]

Sex*av"a*lent (?), a. See Sexivalent. [R.]

Sex*dig"it*ism (?), n. [Sex- + digit.] The state of having six fingers on a hand, or six toes on a foot.

Sex*dig"it*ist, n. One who has six fingers on a hand, or six toes on a foot.

Sexed (?), a. Belonging to sex; having sex; distinctively male of female; as, the sexed condition.

Sex"e*na*ry (?), a. Proceeding by sixes; sextuple; -- applied especially to a system of arithmetical computation in which the base is six.

Sex*en"ni*al (?), a. [L. sexennium a period of six years, sexennis of six years; sex six + annus a year. See Six, and Annual.] Lasting six years, or happening once in six years. -- n. A sexennial event.

Sex*en"ni*al*ly, adv. Once in six years.

{ Sex"fid (?), Sex"i*fid (?), } a. [Sex- + root of L. findere to split: cf. F. sexfide.] (Bot.) Six-cleft; as, a sexfid calyx or nectary.

Sex`i*syl*lab"ic (?), a. [Sex- + syllabic.] Having six syllables. Emerson.

Sex"i*syl`la*ble (?), n. [Sex- + syllable.] A word of six syllables.

Sex*iv"a*lent (?), a. [Sex- + L. valens, p. pr. See Valence.] (hem.) Hexavalent. [R.]

Sex"less (?), a. Having no sex.

Sex`loc"u*lar (?), a. [Sex- + locular: cf. F. sexloculaire.] (Bot.) Having six cells for seeds; six-celled; as, a sexlocular pericarp.

Sex"ly (?), a. Pertaining to sex. [R.]

Should I ascribe any of these things unto myself or my sexly weakness, I were not worthy to live.

Queen Elizabeth.

Sex*ra"di*ate (?), a. [Sex- + radiate.] (Zoöl.) Having six rays; -- said of certain sponge spicules. See Illust. of Spicule.

Sext (?), n. [L. sexta, fem. of sextus sixtt, fr. sex six: cf. F. sexte.] (R.C.Ch.) (a) The office for the sixth canonical hour, being a part of the Breviary. (b) The sixth book of the decretals, added by Pope Boniface VIII.

Sex"tain, n. [L. sextus sixth, fr. sex six: cf. It. sestina.] (Pros.) A stanza of six lines; a sestine.

||Sex"tans (?), n. [L. See Sextant.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A Roman coin, the ||sixth part of an as.

2. (Astron.) A constellation on the equator south of Leo; the Sextant.

Sex"tant (?), n. [L. sextans, -antis, the sixth part of an as, fr. sextus sixth, sex six. See Six.] 1. (Math.) The sixth part of a circle.

2. An instrument for measuring angular distances between objects, -- used esp. at sea, for ascertaining the latitude and longitude. It is constructed on the same optical principle as Hadley's quadrant, but usually of metal, with a nicer graduation, telescopic sight, and its arc the sixth, and sometimes the third, part of a circle. See Quadrant.

3. (Astron.) The constellation Sextans.

Box sextant, a small sextant inclosed in a cylindrical case to make it more portable.

Sex"ta*ry (?), n.; pl. Sextaries (#). [L. sextarius the sixth part of a measure, weight, etc., fr. sextus sixth, sex six.] (Rom. Antiq.) An ancient Roman liquid and dry measure, about equal to an English pint.

Sex"ta*ry (?), n. [For sextonry.] A sacristy. [Obs.]

{ Sex*tet" (?), Sex*tet"to (?), } n. (Mus.) See Sestet.

Sex"teyn (?), n. A sacristan. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Sex"tic (?), a. [L. sextus sixth.] (Math.) Of the sixth degree or order. -- n. (Alg.) A quantic of the sixth degree.

Sex"tile (?), a. [F. sextil, fr. L. sextus the sixth, from sex six. See Six.] (Astrol.) Measured by sixty degrees; fixed or indicated by a distance of sixty degrees. Glanvill.

Sex"tile, n. [Cf. F. aspect sextil.] (Astrol.) The aspect or position of two planets when distant from each other sixty degrees, or two signs. This position is marked thus: &8star;. Hutton.

Sex*til"lion (?), n. [Formed (in imitation of million) fr. L. sextus sixth, sex six: cf. F. sextilion.] According to the method of numeration (which is followed also in the United States), the number expressed by a unit with twenty-one ciphers annexed. According to the English method, a million raised to the sixth power, or the number expressed by a unit with thirty-six ciphers annexed. See Numeration.

Sex"to (?), n.; pl. Sextos (#). [L. sextus sixth.] A book consisting of sheets each of which is folded into six leaves.

Sex`to*dec"i*mo (?), a. [L. sextus- decimus the sixteenth; sextus the sixth (fr. sex six) + decimus the tenth, from decem ten. See - mo.] Having sixteen leaves to a sheet; of, or equal to, the size of one fold of a sheet of printing paper when folded so as to make sixteen leaves, or thirty-two pages; as, a sextodecimo volume.

Sex`to*dec"imo, n.; pl. Sextodecimos (&?;). A book composed of sheets each of which is folded into sixteen leaves; hence, indicating, more or less definitely, a size of a book; -- usually written 16mo, or 16°.

Sex"to*let (?), n. (Mus.) A double triplet; a group of six equal notes played in the time of four.

Sex"ton (?), n. [OE. sextein, contr. fr. sacristan.] An under officer of a church, whose business is to take care of the church building and the vessels, vestments, etc., belonging to the church, to attend on the officiating clergyman, and to perform other duties pertaining to the church, such as to dig graves, ring the bell, etc.

Sexton beetle (Zoöl.), a burying beetle.

Sex"ton*ess, n. A female sexton; a sexton's wife.

Sex"ton*ry (?), n. Sextonship. [Obs.] Ld. Bernes.

Sex"ton*ship, n. The office of a sexton. Swift.

Sex"try (?), n. See Sacristy. [Obs.]

Sex"tu*ple (?), a. [Formed (in imitation of quadruple) fr. L. sextus sixth: cf. F. sextuple.] 1. Six times as much; sixfold.

2. (Mus.) Divisible by six; having six beats; as, sixtuple measure.

Sex"u*al (?), a. [L. sexualis, fr. sexus sex: cf. F. sexuel.] Of or pertaining to sex, or the sexes; distinguishing sex; peculiar to the distinction and office of male or female; relating to the distinctive genital organs of the sexes; proceeding from, or based upon, sex; as, sexual characteristics; sexual intercourse, connection, or commerce; sexual desire; sexual diseases; sexual generation.

Sexual dimorphism (Biol.), the condition of having one of the sexes existing in two forms, or varieties, differing in color, size, etc., as in many species of butterflies which have two kinds of females. -- Sexual method (Bot.), a method of classification proposed by Linnæus, founded mainly on difference in number and position of the stamens and pistils of plants. -- Sexual selection (Biol.), the selective preference of one sex for certain characteristics in the other, such as bright colors, musical notes, etc.; also, the selection which results from certain individuals of one sex having more opportunities of pairing with the other sex, on account of greater activity, strength, courage, etc.; applied likewise to that kind of evolution which results from such sexual preferences. Darwin.

In these cases, therefore, natural selection seems to have acted independently of sexual selection.

A. R. Wallace.

Sex"u*al*ist, n. (Bot.) One who classifies plants by the sexual method of Linnæus.

Sex`u*al"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being distinguished by sex. Lindley.

Sex"u*al*ize (?), v. t. To attribute sex to.

Sex"u*al*ly, adv. In a sexual manner or relation.

{ Sey (?), Seyh (?) }, obs. imp. sing. & 2d pers. pl. of See. Chaucer.

{ Seye (?), Seyen (?) }, obs. imp. pl. & p. p. of See.

Seynd (?), obs. p. p. of Senge, to singe. Chaucer.

Seynt (?), n. A gridle. See 1st Seint. [Obs.]

{ ||Sfor*zan"do (?), ||Sfor*za"to (?), } a. [It. sforzando, p. pr., and sforzato, p. p. of sforzare to force.] (Mus.) Forcing or forced; -- a direction placed over a note, to signify that it must be executed with peculiar emphasis and force; -- marked fz (an abbreviation of forzando), sf, sfz, or &?;.

||Sfu*ma"to (?), a. [It.] (Paint.) Having vague outlines, and colors ||and shades so mingled as to give a misty appearance; -- said of a ||painting.

||Sgraf*fi"to (?), a. [It.] (Paint.) Scratched; -- said of decorative ||painting of a certain style, in which a white overland surface is cut ||or scratched through, so as to form the design from a dark ground ||underneath.

Shab (?), n. [OE. shabbe, AS. sc&?;b. See Scab.] The itch in animals; also, a scab. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Shab, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shabbed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shabbing.] [See Scab, 3.] To play mean tricks; to act shabbily. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Shab, v. t. To scratch; to rub. [Obs.] Farquhar.

Shab"bed (?), a. Shabby. [Obs.] Wood.

Shab"bi*ly (?), adv. In a shabby manner.

Shab"bi*ness, n. The quality or state of being sghabby.

{ Shab"ble (?), Shab"ble }, n.[Cf. D. sabel, and G. säbel.] A kind of crooked sword or hanger. [Scot.]

Shab"by (?), a. [Compar. Shabbier (?); superl. Shabbiest.] [See Shab, n., Scabby, and Scab.] 1. Torn or worn to rage; poor; mean; ragged.

Wearing shabby coats and dirty shirts.

Macaulay.

2. Clothed with ragged, much worn, or soiled garments. "The dean was so shabby." Swift.

3. Mean; paltry; despicable; as, shabby treatment. "Very shabby fellows." Clarendon.

||Shab"rack (?), n. [Turk. tshprk, whence F. chabraque, G. shabracke.] ||(Mil.) The saddlecloth or housing of a cavalry horse.

Shack (?), v. t. [Prov. E., to shake, to shed. See Shake.] 1. To shed or fall, as corn or grain at harvest. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.

2. To feed in stubble, or upon waste corn. [Prov. Eng.]

3. To wander as a vagabond or a tramp. [Prev.Eng.]

Shack, n. [Cf. Scot. shag refuse of barley or oats.] 1. The grain left after harvest or gleaning; also, nuts which have fallen to the ground. [Prov. Eng.]

2. Liberty of winter pasturage. [Prov. Eng.]

3. A shiftless fellow; a low, itinerant beggar; a vagabond; a tramp. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S.] Forby.

All the poor old shacks about the town found a friend in Deacon Marble.

H. W. Beecher.

Common of shack (Eng.Law), the right of persons occupying lands lying together in the same common field to turn out their cattle to range in it after harvest. Cowell.

Shack"a*to*ry (?), n. A hound. [Obs.]

Shac"kle (?), n. Stubble. [Prov. Eng.] Pegge.

Shac"kle, n. [Generally used in the plural.] [OE. schakkyll, schakle, AS. scacul, sceacul, a shackle, fr. scacan to shake; cf. D. schakel a link of a chain, a mesh, Icel. skökull the pole of a cart. See Shake.] 1. Something which confines the legs or arms so as to prevent their free motion; specifically, a ring or band inclosing the ankle or wrist, and fastened to a similar shackle on the other leg or arm, or to something else, by a chain or a strap; a gyve; a fetter.

His shackles empty left; himself escaped clean.

Spenser.

2. Hence, that which checks or prevents free action.

His very will seems to be in bonds and shackles.

South.

3. A fetterlike band worn as an ornament.

Most of the men and women . . . had all earrings made of gold, and gold shackles about their legs and arms.

Dampier.

4. A link or loop, as in a chain, fitted with a movable bolt, so that the parts can be separated, or the loop removed; a clevis.

5. A link for connecting railroad cars; -- called also drawlink, draglink, etc.

6. The hinged and curved bar of a padlock, by which it is hung to the staple. Knight.

Shackle joint (Anat.), a joint formed by a bony ring passing through a hole in a bone, as at the bases of spines in some fishes.

<! p. 1321 !>

Shac"kle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shackled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shackling.] 1. To tie or confine the limbs of, so as to prevent free motion; to bind with shackles; to fetter; to chain.

To lead him shackled, and exposed to scorn Of gathering crowds, the Britons' boasted chief.

J. Philips.

2. Figuratively: To bind or confine so as to prevent or embarrass action; to impede; to cumber.

Shackled by her devotion to the king, she seldom could pursue that object.

Walpole.

3. To join by a link or chain, as railroad cars. [U. S.]

Shackle bar, the coupling between a locomotive and its tender. [U.S.] -- Shackle bolt, a shackle. Sir W. Scott.

Shack"lock` (?), n. A sort of shackle. [Obs.]

Shack"ly, a. Shaky; rickety. [Colloq. U. S.]

Shad (shd), n. sing. & pl. [AS. sceadda a kind of fish, akin to Prov. G. schade; cf. Ir. & Gael. sgadan a herring, W. ysgadan herrings; all perhaps akin to E. skate a fish.] (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of food fishes of the Herring family. The American species (Clupea sapidissima), which is abundant on the Atlantic coast and ascends the larger rivers in spring to spawn, is an important market fish. The European allice shad, or alose (C. alosa), and the twaite shad. (C. finta), are less important species. [Written also chad.]

The name is loosely applied, also, to several other fishes, as the gizzard shad (see under Gizzard), called also mud shad, white-eyed shad, and winter shad.

Hardboaded, or Yellow-tailed, shad, the menhaden. -- Hickory, or Tailor, shad, the mattowacca. -- Long-boned shad, one of several species of important food fishes of the Bermudas and the West Indies, of the genus Gerres. -- Shad bush (Bot.), a name given to the North American shrubs or small trees of the rosaceous genus Amelanchier (A. Canadensis, and A. alnifolia) Their white racemose blossoms open in April or May, when the shad appear, and the edible berries (pomes) ripen in June or July, whence they are called Juneberries. The plant is also called service tree, and Juneberry. -- Shad frog, an American spotted frog (Rana halecina); - - so called because it usually appears at the time when the shad begin to run in the rivers. -- Trout shad, the squeteague. -- White shad, the common shad.

Shad"bird` (shd"brd), n. (Zoöl.) (a) The American, or Wilson's, snipe. See under Snipe. So called because it appears at the same time as the shad. (b) The common European sandpiper. [Prov. Eng.]

Shadd (shd), n. (Mining.) Rounded stones containing tin ore, lying at the surface of the ground, and indicating a vein. Raymond.

Shad"de (?), obs. imp. of Shed. Chaucer.

Shad"dock (?), n. [Said to be so called from a Captain Shaddock, who first brought this fruit from the East Indies.] (Bot.) A tree (Citrus decumana) and its fruit, which is a large species of orange; -- called also forbidden fruit, and pompelmous.

Shade (shd), n. [OE. shade, shadewe, schadewe, AS. sceadu, scead; akin to OS. skado, D. schaduw, OHG. scato, (gen. scatewes), G. schatten, Goth. skadus, Ir. & Gael. sgath, and probably to Gr. sko`tos darkness. &radic;162. Cf. Shadow, Shed a hat.] 1. Comparative obscurity owing to interception or interruption of the rays of light; partial darkness caused by the intervention of something between the space contemplated and the source of light.

Shade differs from shadow as it implies no particular form or definite limit; whereas a shadow represents in form the object which intercepts the light. When we speak of the shade of a tree, we have no reference to its form; but when we speak of measuring a pyramid or other object by its shadow, we have reference to its form and extent.

2. Darkness; obscurity; -- often in the plural.

The shades of night were falling fast.

Longfellow.

3. An obscure place; a spot not exposed to light; hence, a secluded retreat.

Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there Weep our sad bosoms empty.

Shak.

4. That which intercepts, or shelters from, light or the direct rays of the sun; hence, also, that which protects from heat or currents of air; a screen; protection; shelter; cover; as, a lamp shade.

The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

Ps. cxxi. 5.

Sleep under a fresh tree's shade.

Shak.

Let the arched knife well sharpened now assail the spreading shades of vegetables.

J. Philips.

5. Shadow. [Poetic.]

Envy will merit, as its shade, pursue.

Pope.

6. The soul after its separation from the body; -- so called because the ancients it to be perceptible to the sight, though not to the touch; a spirit; a ghost; as, the shades of departed heroes.

Swift as thought the flitting shade Thro' air his momentary journey made.

Dryden.

7. (Painting, Drawing, etc.) The darker portion of a picture; a less illuminated part. See Def. 1, above.

8. Degree or variation of color, as darker or lighter, stronger or paler; as, a delicate shade of pink.

White, red, yellow, blue, with their several degrees, or shades and mixtures, as green only in by the eyes.

Locke.

9. A minute difference or variation, as of thought, belief, expression, etc.; also, the quality or degree of anything which is distinguished from others similar by slight differences; as, the shades of meaning in synonyms.

New shades and combinations of thought.

De Quincey.

Every shade of religious and political opinion has its own headquarters.

Macaulay.

The Shades, the Nether World; the supposed abode of souls after leaving the body.

Shade (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Shading.] 1. To shelter or screen by intercepting the rays of light; to keep off illumination from. Milton.

I went to crop the sylvan scenes, And shade our altars with their leafy greens.

Dryden.

2. To shelter; to cover from injury; to protect; to screen; to hide; as, to shade one's eyes.

Ere in our own house I do shade my head.

Shak.

3. To obscure; to dim the brightness of.

Thou shad'st The full blaze of thy beams.

Milton.

4. To pain in obscure colors; to darken.

5. To mark with gradations of light or color.

6. To present a shadow or image of; to shadow forth; to represent. [Obs.]

[The goddess] in her person cunningly did shade That part of Justice which is Equity.

Spenser.

Shade"ful (?), a. Full of shade; shady.

Shade"less, a. Being without shade; not shaded.

Shad"er (?), n. One who, or that which, shades.

Shad"i*ly (?), adv. In a shady manner.

Shad"i*ness, n. Quality or state of being shady.

Shad"ing, n. 1. Act or process of making a shade.

2. That filling up which represents the effect of more or less darkness, expressing rotundity, projection, etc., in a picture or a drawing.

||Sha*doof" (sh*df"), n. [Ar. shdf.] A machine, resembling a well ||sweep, used in Egypt for raising water from the Nile for irrigation.

Shad"ow (shd"), n. [Originally the same word as shade. &radic;162. See Shade.] 1. Shade within defined limits; obscurity or deprivation of light, apparent on a surface, and representing the form of the body which intercepts the rays of light; as, the shadow of a man, of a tree, or of a tower. See the Note under Shade, n., 1.

2. Darkness; shade; obscurity.

Night's sable shadows from the ocean rise.

Denham.

3. A shaded place; shelter; protection; security.

In secret shadow from the sunny ray, On a sweet bed of lilies softly laid.

Spenser.

4. A reflected image, as in a mirror or in water. Shak.

5. That which follows or attends a person or thing like a shadow; an inseparable companion; hence, an obsequious follower.

Sin and her shadow Death.

Milton.

6. A spirit; a ghost; a shade; a phantom. "Hence, horrible shadow!" Shak.

7. An imperfect and faint representation; adumbration; indistinct image; dim bodying forth; hence, mystical representation; type.

The law having a shadow of good things to come.

Heb. x. 1.

[Types] and shadows of that destined seed.

Milton.

8. A small degree; a shade. "No variableness, neither shadow of turning." James i. 17.

9. An uninvited guest coming with one who is invited. [A Latinism] Nares.

I must not have my board pastered with shadows That under other men's protection break in Without invitement.

Massinger.

Shadow of death, darkness or gloom like that caused by the presence or the impending of death. Ps. xxiii. 4.

Shad"ow, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shadowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shadowing.] [OE. shadowen, AS. sceadwian. See adow, n.] 1. To cut off light from; to put in shade; to shade; to throw a shadow upon; to overspead with obscurity.

The warlike elf much wondered at this tree, So fair and great, that shadowed all the ground.

Spenser.

2. To conceal; to hide; to screen. [R.]

Let every soldier hew him down a bough. And bear't before him; thereby shall we shadow The numbers of our host.

Shak.

3. To protect; to shelter from danger; to shroud.

Shadowing their right under your wings of war.

Shak.

4. To mark with gradations of light or color; to shade.

5. To represent faintly or imperfectly; to adumbrate; hence, to represent typically.

Augustus is shadowed in the person of Æneas.

Dryden.

6. To cloud; to darken; to cast a gloom over.

The shadowed livery of the burnished sun.

Shak.

Why sad? I must not see the face O love thus shadowed.

Beau. & Fl.

7. To attend as closely as a shadow; to follow and watch closely, especially in a secret or unobserved manner; as, a detective shadows a criminal.

Shad"ow*i*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being shadowy.

Shad"ow*ing, n. 1. Shade, or gradation of light and color; shading. Feltham.

2. A faint representation; an adumbration.

There are . . . in savage theology shadowings, quaint or majestic, of the conception of a Supreme Deity.

Tylor.

Shad"ow*ish, a. Shadowy; vague. [Obs.] Hooker.

Shad"ow*less, a. Having no shadow.

Shad"ow*y (?), a. 1. Full of shade or shadows; causing shade or shadow. "Shadowy verdure." Fenton.

This shadowy desert, unfrequented woods.

Shak.

2. Hence, dark; obscure; gloomy; dim. "The shadowy past." Longfellow.

3. Not brightly luminous; faintly light.

The moon . . . with more pleasing light, Shadowy sets off the face things.

Milton.

4. Faintly representative; hence, typical.

From shadowy types to truth, from flesh to spirit.

Milton.

5. Unsubstantial; unreal; as, shadowy honor.

Milton has brought into his poems two actors of a shadowy and fictitious nature, in the persons of Sin and Death.

Addison.

Sha"drach (?), n. (Metal.) A mass of iron on which the operation of smelting has failed of its intended effect; -- so called from Shadrach, one of the three Hebrews who came forth unharmed from the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. (See Dan. iii. 26, 27.)

Shad"-spir`it (?), n. See Shadbird (a)

Shad"-wait`er (?), n. (Zoöl.) A lake whitefish; the roundfish. See Roundfish.

Shad"y (?), a. [Compar. Shadier (?); superl. Shadiest.] 1. Abounding in shade or shades; overspread with shade; causing shade.

The shady trees cover him with their shadow.

Job. xl. 22.

And Amaryllis fills the shady groves.

Dryden.

2. Sheltered from the glare of light or sultry heat.

Cast it also that you may have rooms shady for summer and warm for winter.

Bacon.

3. Of or pertaining to shade or darkness; hence, unfit to be seen or known; equivocal; dubious or corrupt. [Colloq.] "A shady business." London Sat. Rev.

Shady characters, disreputable, criminal.

London Spectator.

On the shady side of, on the thither side of; as, on the shady side of fifty; that is, more than fifty. [Colloq.] -- To keep shady, to stay in concealment; also, to be reticent. [Slang]

Shaf"fle (?), v. i. [See Shuffle.] To hobble or limp; to shuffle. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Shaf"fler (?), n. A hobbler; one who limps; a shuffer. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Sha"fi*ite (?), n. A member of one of the four sects of the Sunnites, or Orthodox Mohammedans; -- so called from its founder, Mohammed al-Shafeï.

Shaft (?), n. [OE. shaft, schaft, AS. sceaft; akin to D. schacht, OHG. scaft, G. schaft, Dan. & Sw. skaft handle, haft, Icel. skapt, and probably to L. scapus, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;&?;, a staff. Probably originally, a shaven or smoothed rod. Cf. Scape, Scepter, Shave.] 1. The slender, smooth stem of an arrow; hence, an arrow.

His sleep, his meat, his drink, is him bereft, That lean he wax, and dry as is a shaft.

Chaucer.

A shaft hath three principal parts, the stele [stale], the feathers, and the head.

Ascham.

2. The long handle of a spear or similar weapon; hence, the weapon itself; (Fig.) anything regarded as a shaft to be thrown or darted; as, shafts of light.

And the thunder, Winged with red lightning and impetuous rage, Perhaps hath spent his shafts.

Milton.

Some kinds of literary pursuits . . . have been attacked with all the shafts of ridicule.

V. Knox.

3. That which resembles in some degree the stem or handle of an arrow or a spear; a long, slender part, especially when cylindrical. Specifically: (a) (Bot.) The trunk, stem, or stalk of a plant. (b) (Zoöl.) The stem or midrib of a feather. See Illust. of Feather. (c) The pole, or tongue, of a vehicle; also, a thill. (d) The part of a candlestick which supports its branches.

Thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold . . . his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

Ex. xxv. 31.

(e) The handle or helve of certain tools, instruments, etc., as a hammer, a whip, etc. (f) A pole, especially a Maypole. [Obs.] Stow. (g) (Arch.) The body of a column; the cylindrical pillar between the capital and base (see Illust. of Column). Also, the part of a chimney above the roof. Also, the spire of a steeple. [Obs. or R.] Gwilt. (h) A column, an obelisk, or other spire-shaped or columnar monument.

Bid time and nature gently spare The shaft we raise to thee.

Emerson.

(i) (Weaving) A rod at the end of a heddle. (j) (Mach.) A solid or hollow cylinder or bar, having one or more journals on which it rests and revolves, and intended to carry one or more wheels or other revolving parts and to transmit power or motion; as, the shaft of a steam engine. See Illust. of Countershaft.

4. (Zoöl.) A humming bird (Thaumastura cora) having two of the tail feathers next to the middle ones very long in the male; -- called also cora humming bird.

5. [Cf. G. schacht.] (Mining) A well-like excavation in the earth, perpendicular or nearly so, made for reaching and raising ore, for raising water, etc.

6. A long passage for the admission or outlet of air; an air shaft.

7. The chamber of a blast furnace.

Line shaft (Mach.), a main shaft of considerable length, in a shop or factory, usually bearing a number of pulleys by which machines are driven, commonly by means of countershafts; -- called also line, or main line. - - Shaft alley (Naut.), a passage extending from the engine room to the stern, and containing the propeller shaft. -- Shaft furnace (Metal.), a furnace, in the form of a chimney, which is charged at the top and tapped at the bottom.

Shaft"ed, a. 1. Furnished with a shaft, or with shafts; as, a shafted arch.

2. (Her.) Having a shaft; -- applied to a spear when the head and the shaft are of different tinctures.

Shaft"ing, n. (Mach.) Shafts, collectivelly; a system of connected shafts for communicating motion.

{ Shaft"man (?), Shaft"ment (?), } n. [AS. sceaftmund.] A measure of about six inches. [Obs.]

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Shag (?), n. [AS. sceacga a bush of hair; akin to Icel. skegg the beard, Sw. skägg, Dan. skj&?;g. Cf. Schock of hair.] 1. Coarse hair or nap; rough, woolly hair.

True Witney broadcloth, with its shag unshorn.

Gay.

2. A kind of cloth having a long, coarse nap.

3. (Com.) A kind of prepared tobacco cut fine.

4. (Zoöl.) Any species of cormorant.

Shag, a. Hairy; shaggy. Shak.

Shag, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shagging.] To make hairy or shaggy; hence, to make rough.

Shag the green zone that bounds the boreal skies.

J. Barlow.

Shag"bark` (?), n. (Bot.) A rough-barked species of hickory (Carya alba), its nut. Called also shellbark. See Hickory. (b) The West Indian Pithecolobium micradenium, a legiminous tree with a red coiled-up pod.

Shage"bush` (?), n. A sackbut. [Obs.]

Shag"ged (?), a. Shaggy; rough. Milton. -- Shag"ged*ness, n. Dr. H. More.

Shag"gi*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being shaggy; roughness; shaggedness.

Shag"gy (?), a. [Compar. Shaggier (?); superl. Shaggiest.] [From Shag, n.] Rough with long hair or wool.

About his shoulders hangs the shaggy skin.

Dryden.

2. Rough; rugged; jaggy. Milton.

[A rill] that winds unseen beneath the shaggy fell.

Keble.

Shag"-haired` (?), a. Having shaggy hair. Shak.

Shag"-rag` (?), n. The unkempt and ragged part of the community. [Colloq. or Slang.] R. Browning.

Sha*green" (?), v. t. To chagrin. [Obs.]

Sha*green", n. [F. chagrin, It. zigrino, fr. Turk. saghri the back of a horse or other beast of burden, shagreen. Cf. Chagrin.] 1. A kind of untanned leather prepared in Russia and the East, from the skins of horses, asses, and camels, and grained so as to be covered with small round granulations. This characteristic surface is produced by pressing small seeds into the grain or hair side when moist, and afterward, when dry, scraping off the roughness left between them, and then, by soaking, causing the portions of the skin which had been compressed or indented by the seeds to swell up into relief. It is used for covering small cases and boxes.

2. The skin of various small sharks and other fishes when having small, rough, bony scales. The dogfishes of the genus Scyllium furnish a large part of that used in the arts.

{ Sha*green" (?), Sha*greened" (?) } a. 1. Made or covered with the leather called shagreen. "A shagreen case of lancets." T. Hook.

2. (Zoöl.) Covered with rough scales or points like those on shagreen.

Shah (shä), n. [Per. shh a king, sovereign, prince. Cf. Checkmate, Chess, Pasha.] The title of the supreme ruler in certain Eastern countries, especially Persia. [Written also schah.]

Shah Nameh. [Per., Book of Kings.] A celebrated historical poem written by Firdousi, being the most ancient in the modern Persian language. Brande & C.

||Sha*hin" (?), n. [Ar. shhn.] (Zoöl.) A large and swift Asiatic falcon ||(Falco pregrinator) highly valued in falconry.

Shaik (?), n. See Sheik.

Shail (?), v. i. [Cf. AS. sceolh squinting, Icel. skjgr wry, oblique, Dan. skele to squint.] To walk sidewise. [Obs.] L'Estrange.

Shake (?), obs. p. p. of Shake. Chaucer.

Shake, v. t. [imp. Shook (?); p. p. Shaken (?), (Shook, obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Shaking.] [OE. shaken, schaken, AS. scacan, sceacan; akin to Icel. & Sw. skaka, OS. skakan, to depart, to flee. &radic;161. Cf. Shock, v.] 1. To cause to move with quick or violent vibrations; to move rapidly one way and the other; to make to tremble or shiver; to agitate.

As a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Rev. vi. 13.

Ascend my chariot; guide the rapid wheels That shake heaven's basis.

Milton.

2. Fig.: To move from firmness; to weaken the stability of; to cause to waver; to impair the resolution of.

When his doctrines grew too strong to be shook by his enemies, they persecuted his reputation.

Atterbury.

Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced.

Milton.

3. (Mus.) To give a tremulous tone to; to trill; as, to shake a note in music.

4. To move or remove by agitating; to throw off by a jolting or vibrating motion; to rid one's self of; -- generally with an adverb, as off, out, etc.; as, to shake fruit down from a tree.

Shake off the golden slumber of repose.

Shak.

'Tis our fast intent To shake all cares and business from our age.

Shak.

I could scarcely shake him out of my company.

Bunyan.

To shake a cask (Naut.), to knock a cask to pieces and pack the staves. -- To shake hands, to perform the customary act of civility by clasping and moving hands, as an expression of greeting, farewell, good will, agreement, etc. -- To shake out a reef (Naut.), to untile the reef points and spread more canvas. -- To shake the bells. See under Bell. -- To shake the sails (Naut.), to luff up in the wind, causing the sails to shiver. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Shake, v. i. To be agitated with a waving or vibratory motion; to tremble; to shiver; to quake; to totter.

Under his burning wheels The steadfast empyrean shook throughout, All but the throne itself of God.

Milton.

What danger? Who 's that that shakes behind there?

Beau. & Fl.

Shaking piece, a name given by butchers to the piece of beef cut from the under side of the neck. See Illust. of Beef.

Shake (?), n. 1. The act or result of shaking; a vacillating or wavering motion; a rapid motion one way and other; a trembling, quaking, or shivering; agitation.

The great soldier's honor was composed Of thicker stuff, which could endure a shake.

Herbert.

Our salutations were very hearty on both sides, consisting of many kind shakes of the hand.

Addison.

2. A fissure or crack in timber, caused by its being dried too suddenly. Gwilt.

3. A fissure in rock or earth.

4. (Mus.) A rapid alternation of a principal tone with another represented on the next degree of the staff above or below it; a trill.

5. (Naut.) One of the staves of a hogshead or barrel taken apart. Totten.

6. A shook of staves and headings. Knight.

7. (Zoöl.) The redshank; -- so called from the nodding of its head while on the ground. [Prov. Eng.]

No great shakes, of no great importance. [Slang] Byron. -- The shakes, the fever and ague. [Colloq. U.S.]

Shake"down` (?), n. A temporary substitute for a bed, as one made on the floor or on chairs; -- perhaps originally from the shaking down of straw for this purpose. Sir W. Scott.

Shake"fork` (?), n. A fork for shaking hay; a pitchfork. [Obs.]

Shak"en (?), a. 1. Caused to shake; agitated; as, a shaken bough.

2. Cracked or checked; split. See Shake, n., 2.

Nor is the wood shaken or twisted.

Barroe.

3. Impaired, as by a shock.

Shak"er (?), n. 1. A person or thing that shakes, or by means of which something is shaken.

2. One of a religious sect who do not marry, popularly so called from the movements of the members in dancing, which forms a part of their worship.

The sect originated in England in 1747, and came to the United States in 1774, under the leadership of Mother Ann Lee. The Shakers are sometimes nicknamed Shaking Quakers, but they differ from the Quakers in doctrine and practice. They style themselves the "United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing." The sect is now confined in the United States.

3. (Zoöl.) A variety of pigeon. P. J. Selby.

Shak"er*ess, n. A female Shaker.

Shak"er*ism (?), n. Doctrines of the Shakers.

Shake*spear"e*an (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or in the style of, Shakespeare or his works. [Written also Shakespearian, Shakspearean, Shakspearian, Shaksperean, Shaksperian.etc.]

Shak"i*ness (?), n. Quality of being shaky.

Shak"ings (?), n. pl. (Naut.) Deck sweepings, refuse of cordage, canvas, etc. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Shak"o (?), n. [Hung. csákó: cf. F. shako, schako.] A kind of military cap or headdress.

Shak"y (?), a. [Compar. Shakier (?); superl. Shakiest.] 1. Shaking or trembling; as, a shaky spot in a marsh; a shaky hand. Thackeray.

2. Full of shakes or cracks; cracked; as, shaky timber. Gwilt.

3. Easily shaken; tottering; unsound; as, a shaky constitution; shaky business credit. [Colloq.]

Shale (?), n. [AS. scealy, scalu. See Scalme, and cf. Shell.] 1. A shell or husk; a cod or pod. "The green shales of a bean." Chapman.

2. [G. shale.] (Geol.) A fine- grained sedimentary rock of a thin, laminated, and often friable, structure.

Bituminous shale. See under Bituminous.

Shale, v. t. To take off the shell or coat of; to shell.

Life, in its upper grades, was bursting its shell, or was shaling off its husk.

I. Taylor.

Shall (?), v. i. & auxiliary. [imp. Should (?).] [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen, pres. zal, imp. zoude, zou, OHG. solan, scolan, pres. scal, sol. imp. scolta, solta, G. sollen, pres. soll, imp. sollte, Icel. skulu, pres. skal, imp. skyldi, SW. skola, pres. skall, imp. skulle, Dan. skulle, pres. skal, imp. skulde, Goth. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skulda, and to AS. scyld guilt, G. schuld guilt, fault, debt, and perhaps to L. scelus crime.] [Shall is defective, having no infinitive, imperative, or participle.] 1. To owe; to be under obligation for. [Obs.] "By the faith I shall to God" Court of Love.

2. To be obliged; must. [Obs.] "Me athinketh [I am sorry] that I shall rehearse it her." Chaucer.

3. As an auxiliary, shall indicates a duty or necessity whose obligation is derived from the person speaking; as, you shall go; he shall go; that is, I order or promise your going. It thus ordinarily expresses, in the second and third persons, a command, a threat, or a promise. If the auxillary be emphasized, the command is made more imperative, the promise or that more positive and sure. It is also employed in the language of prophecy; as, "the day shall come when . . . , " since a promise or threat and an authoritative prophecy nearly coincide in significance. In shall with the first person, the necessity of the action is sometimes implied as residing elsewhere than in the speaker; as, I shall suffer; we shall see; and there is always a less distinct and positive assertion of his volition than is indicated by will. "I shall go" implies nearly a simple futurity; more exactly, a foretelling or an expectation of my going, in which, naturally enough, a certain degree of plan or intention may be included; emphasize the shall, and the event is described as certain to occur, and the expression approximates in meaning to our emphatic "I will go." In a question, the relation of speaker and source of obligation is of course transferred to the person addressed; as, "Shall you go?" (answer, "I shall go"); "Shall he go?" i. e., "Do you require or promise his going?" (answer, "He shall go".) The same relation is transferred to either second or third person in such phrases as "You say, or think, you shall go;" "He says, or thinks, he shall go." After a conditional conjunction (as if, whether) shall is used in all persons to express futurity simply; as, if I, you, or he shall say they are right. Should is everywhere used in the same connection and the same senses as shall, as its imperfect. It also expresses duty or moral obligation; as, he should do it whether he will or not. In the early English, and hence in our English Bible, shall is the auxiliary mainly used, in all the persons, to express simple futurity. (Cf. Will, v. t.) Shall may be used elliptically; thus, with an adverb or other word expressive of motion go may be omitted. "He to England shall along with you." Shak.

Shall and will are often confounded by inaccurate speakers and writers. Say: I shall be glad to see you. Shall I do this? Shall I help you? (not Will I do this?) See Will.

Shal"li (?), n. See Challis.

Shal"lon (?), n. (Bot.) An evergreen shrub (Gaultheria Shallon) of Northwest America; also, its fruit. See Salal-berry.

Shal*loon" (?), n. [F. chalon, from Châlons, in France, where it was first made.] A thin, loosely woven, twilled worsted stuff.

In blue shalloon shall Hannibal be clad.

Swift.

Shal"lop (?), n. [F. chaloupe, probably from D. sloep. Cf. Sloop.] (Naut.) A boat.

[She] thrust the shallop from the floating strand.

Spenser.

The term shallop is applied to boats of all sizes, from a light canoe up to a large boat with masts and sails.

Shal*lot" (?), n. [OF. eschalote (for escalone), F. échalote. See Scallion, and cf. Eschalot.] (Bot.) A small kind of onion (Allium Ascalonicum) growing in clusters, and ready for gathering in spring; a scallion, or eschalot.

Shal"low (?), a. [Compar. Shallower (?); superl. Shallowest.] [OE. schalowe, probably originally, sloping or shelving; cf. Icel. skjlgr wry, squinting, AS. sceolh, D. & G. scheel, OHG. schelah. Cf. Shelve to slope, Shoal shallow.] 1. Not deep; having little depth; shoal. "Shallow brooks, and rivers wide." Milton.

2. Not deep in tone. [R.]

The sound perfecter and not so shallow and jarring.

Bacon.

3. Not intellectually deep; not profound; not penetrating deeply; simple; not wise or knowing; ignorant; superficial; as, a shallow mind; shallow learning.

The king was neither so shallow, nor so ill advertised, as not to perceive the intention of the French king.

Bacon.

Deep versed in books, and shallow in himself.

Milton.

Shal"low, n. 1. A place in a body of water where the water is not deep; a shoal; a flat; a shelf.

A swift stream is not heard in the channel, but upon shallows of gravel.

Bacon.

Dashed on the shallows of the moving sand.

Dryden.

2. (Zoöl.) The rudd. [Prov. Eng.]

Shal"low, v. t. To make shallow. Sir T. Browne.

Shal"low, v. i. To become shallow, as water.

Shal"low-bod`ied (?), a. (Naut.) Having a moderate depth of hold; -- said of a vessel.

Shal"low-brained` (?), a. Weak in intellect; foolish; empty-headed. South.

Shal"low-heart`ed (?), a. Incapable of deep feeling. Tennyson.

Shal"low*ly, adv. In a shallow manner.

Shal"low*ness, n. Quality or state of being shallow.

Shal"low-pat`ed (?), a. Shallow- brained.

Shal"low-waist`ed (?), a. (Naut.) Having a flush deck, or with only a moderate depression amidships; -- said of a vessel.

Shalm (?), n. See Shawm. [Obs.] Knolles.

Shalt (?), 2d per. sing. of Shall.

Shal"y (?), a. Resembling shale in structure.

Sham (?), n. [Originally the same word as shame, hence, a disgrace, a trick. See Shame, n.] 1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe; delusion; imposture, humbug. "A mere sham." Bp. Stillingfleet.

Believe who will the solemn sham, not I.

Addison.

2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering.

Pillow sham, a covering to be laid on a pillow.

Sham, a. False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham fight.

They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians.

Jowett (Thucyd)

Sham, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shammed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shamming.] 1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses.

Fooled and shammed into a conviction.

L'Estrange.

2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.]

We must have a care that we do not . . . sham fallacies upon the world for current reason.

L'Estrange.

3. To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.

To sham Abram or Abraham, to feign sickness; to malinger. Hence a malingerer is called, in sailors' cant, Sham Abram, or Sham Abraham.

Sham, v. i. To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose.

Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were such fools as they professed to be, or were only shamming.

Macaulay.

||Sha"ma (?), n. [Hind. shm.] (Zoöl.) A saxicoline singing bird ||(Kittacincla macroura) of India, noted for the sweetness and power of ||its song. In confinement it imitates the notes of other birds and ||various animals with accuracy. Its head, neck, back, breast, and tail ||are glossy black, the rump white, the under parts chestnut.

Sha"man (?), n. [From the native name.] A priest of Shamanism; a wizard among the Shamanists.

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Sha*man"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Shamanism.

Sha"man*ism (?), n. The type of religion which once prevalied among all the Ural-Altaic peoples (Tungusic, Mongol, and Turkish), and which still survives in various parts of Northern Asia. The Shaman, or wizard priest, deals with good as well as with evil spirits, especially the good spirits of ancestors. Encyc. Brit.

Sha"man*ist, n. An adherent of Shamanism.

Sham"ble (?), n. [OE. schamel a bench, stool, AS. scamel, sceamol, a bench, form, stool, fr. L. scamellum, dim. of scamnum a bench, stool.] 1. (Mining) One of a succession of niches or platforms, one above another, to hold ore which is thrown successively from platform to platform, and thus raised to a higher level.

2. pl. A place where butcher's meat is sold.

As summer flies are in the shambles.

Shak.

3. pl. A place for slaughtering animals for meat.

To make a shambles of the parliament house.

Shak.

Sham"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Shambled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shambling (?).] [Cf. OD. schampelen to slip, schampen to slip away, escape. Cf. Scamble, Scamper.] To walk awkwardly and unsteadily, as if the knees were weak; to shuffle along.

Sham"bling (?), a. Characterized by an awkward, irregular pace; as, a shambling trot; shambling legs.

Sham"bling, n. An awkward, irregular gait.

Shame (?), n. [OE. shame, schame, AS. scamu, sceamu; akin to OS. & OHG. scama, G. scham, Icel. skömm, shkamm, Sw. & Dan. skam, D. & G. schande, Goth. skanda shame, skaman sik to be ashamed; perhaps from a root skam meaning to cover, and akin to the root (kam) of G. hemd shirt, E. chemise. Cf. Sham.] 1. A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt or impropriety, or of having done something which injures reputation, or of the exposure of that which nature or modesty prompts us to conceal.

HIde, for shame, Romans, your grandsires' images, That blush at their degenerate progeny.

Dryden.

Have you no modesty, no maiden shame?

Shak.

2. Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonor; ignominy; derision; contempt.

Ye have borne the shame of the heathen.

Ezek. xxxvi. 6.

Honor and shame from no condition rise.

Pope.

And every woe a tear can claim Except an erring sister's shame.

Byron.

3. The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach, and degrades a person in the estimation of others; disgrace.

O C&?;sar, what a wounding shame is this!

Shak.

Guides who are the shame of religion.

Shak.

4. The parts which modesty requires to be covered; the private parts. Isa. xlvii. 3.

For shame! you should be ashamed; shame on you! -- To put to shame, to cause to feel shame; to humiliate; to disgrace. "Let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil." Ps. xl. 14.

Shame, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shamed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shaming.] 1. To make ashamed; to excite in (a person) a comsciousness of guilt or impropriety, or of conduct derogatory to reputation; to put to shame.

Were there but one righteous in the world, he would . . . shame the world, and not the world him.

South.

2. To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.

And with foul cowardice his carcass shame.

Spenser.

3. To mock at; to deride. [Obs. or R.]

Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor.

Ps. xiv. 6.

Shame, v. i. [AS. scamian, sceamian. See Shame, n.] To be ashamed; to feel shame. [R.]

I do shame To think of what a noble strain you are.

Shak.

Shame"faced` (?), a. [For shamefast; AS. scamfæst. See Shame, n., and Fast firm.] Easily confused or put out of countenance; diffident; bashful; modest.

Your shamefaced virtue shunned the people's prise.

Dryden.

Shamefaced was once shamefast, shamefacedness was shamefastness, like steadfast and steadfastness; but the ordinary manifestations of shame being by the face, have brought it to its present orthography. Trench.

-- Shame"faced, adv. -- Shame"faced`ness, n.

Shame"fast (?), a. [AS. scamfæst.] Modest; shamefaced. -- Shame"fast*ly, adv. -- Shame"fast*ness, n. [Archaic] See Shamefaced.

Shamefast she was in maiden shamefastness.

Chaucer.

[Conscience] is a blushing shamefast spirit.

Shak.

Modest apparel with shamefastness.

1 Tim. ii. 9 (Rev. Ver.).

Shame"ful (?), a. 1. Bringing shame or disgrace; injurious to reputation; disgraceful.

His naval preparations were not more surprising than his quick and shameful retreat.

Arbuthnot.

2. Exciting the feeling of shame in others; indecent; as, a shameful picture; a shameful sight. Spenser.

Syn. -- Disgraceful; reproachful; indecent; unbecoming; degrading; scandalous; ignominious; infamous.

-- Shame"ful*ly, adv. -- Shame"ful*ness, n.

Shame"less, a. [AS. scamleás.] 1. Destitute of shame; wanting modesty; brazen-faced; insensible to disgrace. "Such shameless bards we have." Pope.

Shame enough to shame thee, wert thou not shameless.

Shak.

2. Indicating want of modesty, or sensibility to disgrace; indecent; as, a shameless picture or poem.

Syn. -- Impudent; unblushing; audacious; immodest; indecent; indelicate.

-- Shame"less*ly, adv. -- Shame"less*ness, n.

Shame"-proof` (?), n. Shameless. Shak.

Sham"er (?), n. One who, or that which, disgraces, or makes ashamed. Beau. & Fl.

Sham"mer (?), n. One who shams; an impostor. Johnson.

Sham"my (?), n. [F. chamious a chamois, shammy leather. See Chamois.] 1. (Zoöl.) The chamois.

2. A soft, pliant leather, prepared originally from the skin of the chamois, but now made also from the skin of the sheep, goat, kid, deer, and calf. See Shamoying. [Written also chamois, shamoy, and shamois.]

{ Sham"ois, Sham"oy } (?), n. See Shammy.

Sha*moy"ing (?), n. [See Shammy.] A process used in preparing certain kinds of leather, which consists in frizzing the skin, and working oil into it to supply the place of the astringent (tannin, alum, or the like) ordinarily used in tanning.

Sham*poo" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shampooed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shampooing.] [Hind. chmpn to press, to squeeze.] [Writing also champoo.] 1. To press or knead the whole surface of the body of (a person), and at the same time to stretch the limbs and joints, in connection with the hot bath.

2. To wash throughly and rub the head of (a person), with the fingers, using either soap, or a soapy preparation, for the more thorough cleansing.

Sham*poo", n. The act of shampooing.

Sham*poo"er (?), n. One who shampoos.

Sham"rock (?), n. [L. seamrog, seamar, trefoil, white clover, white honeysuckle; akin to Gael. seamrag.] (Bot.) A trifoliate plant used as a national emblem by the Irish. The legend is that St. Patrick once plucked a leaf of it for use in illustrating the doctrine of the trinity.

The original plant was probably a kind of wood sorrel (Oxalis Acetocella); but now the name is given to the white clover (Trifolium repens), and the black medic (Medicago lupulina).

Shan"dry*dan (?), n. A jocosely depreciative name for a vehicle. [Ireland]

Shan"dy*gaff (&?;), n. A mixture of strong beer and ginger beer. [Eng.]

Shang`hai" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shanghaied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shanghaiing.] To intoxicate and ship (a person) as a sailor while in this condition. [Written also shanghae.] [Slang, U.S.]

Shang`hai" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A large and tall breed of domestic fowl.

Shank (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Chank.

Shank, n. [OE. shanke, schanke, schonke, AS. scanca, sceanca, sconca, sceonca; akin to D. schonk a bone, G. schenkel thigh, shank, schinken ham, OHG. scincha shank, Dan. & Sw. skank. &radic;161. Cf. Skink, v.] 1. The part of the leg from the knee to the foot; the shin; the shin bone; also, the whole leg.

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank.

Shak.

2. Hence, that part of an instrument, tool, or other thing, which connects the acting part with a handle or other part, by which it is held or moved. Specifically: (a) That part of a key which is between the bow and the part which enters the wards of the lock. (b) The middle part of an anchor, or that part which is between the ring and the arms. See Illustr. of Anchor. (c) That part of a hoe, rake, knife, or the like, by which it is secured to a handle. (d) A loop forming an eye to a button.

3. (Arch.) The space between two channels of the Doric triglyph. Gwilt.

4. (Founding) A large ladle for molten metal, fitted with long bars for handling it.

5. (Print.) The body of a type.

6. (Shoemaking) The part of the sole beneath the instep connecting the broader front part with the heel.

7. (Zoöl.) A wading bird with long legs; as, the green-legged shank, or knot; the yellow shank, or tattler; -- called also shanks.

8. pl. Flat-nosed pliers, used by opticians for nipping off the edges of pieces of glass to make them round.

Shank painter (Naut.), a short rope or chain which holds the shank of an anchor against the side of a vessel when it is secured for a voyage. -- To ride shank's mare, to go on foot; to walk.

Shank, v. i. To fall off, as a leaf, flower, or capsule, on account of disease affecting the supporting footstalk; -- usually followed by off. Darwin.

Shank"beer` (?), n. See Schenkbeer.

Shanked (?), a. Having a shank.

Shank"er (?), n. (Med.) See Chancre.

Shan"ny (?), n.; pl. Shannies (#). [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.) The European smooth blenny (Blennius pholis). It is olive-green with irregular black spots, and without appendages on the head.

Shan't (?). A contraction of shall not. [Colloq.]

Shan"ty (?), a. Jaunty; showy. [Prov. Eng.]

Shan"ty, n.;pl. Shanties (#). [Said to be fr. Ir. sean old + tig. a house.] A small, mean dwelling; a rough, slight building for temporary use; a hut.

Shan"ty, v. i. To inhabit a shanty. S. H. Hammond.

Shap"a*ble (?), a. 1. That may be shaped.

2. Shapely. [R.] "Round and shapable." De Foe.

Shape (shp), v. t. [imp. Shaped (shpt); p. p. Shaped or Shapen (shp"'n); p. pr. & vb. n. Shaping.] [OE. shapen, schapen, AS. sceapian. The p. p. shapen is from the strong verb, AS. scieppan, scyppan, sceppan, p. p. sceapen. See Shape, n.] 1. To form or create; especially, to mold or make into a particular form; to give proper form or figure to.

I was shapen in iniquity.

Ps. li. 5.

Grace shaped her limbs, and beauty decked her face.

Prior.

2. To adapt to a purpose; to regulate; to adjust; to direct; as, to shape the course of a vessel.

To the stream, when neither friends, nor force, Nor speed nor art avail, he shapes his course.

Denham.

Charmed by their eyes, their manners I acquire, And shape my foolishness to their desire.

Prior.

3. To image; to conceive; to body forth.

Oft my jealousy Shapes faults that are not.

Shak.

4. To design; to prepare; to plan; to arrange.

When shapen was all this conspiracy, From point to point.

Chaucer.

Shaping machine. (Mach.) Same as Shaper. -- To shape one's self, to prepare; to make ready. [Obs.]

I will early shape me therefor.

Chaucer.

Shape (shp), v. i. To suit; to be adjusted or conformable. [R.] Shak.

Shape, n. [OE. shap, schap, AS. sceap in gesceap creation, creature, fr. the root of scieppan, scyppan, sceppan, to shape, to do, to effect; akin to OS. giskeppian, OFries. skeppa, D. scheppen, G. schaffen, OHG. scaffan, scepfen, skeffen, Icer. skapa, skepja, Dan. skabe, skaffe, Sw. skapa, skaffa, Goth. gaskapjan, and perhaps to E. shave, v. Cf. -ship.] 1. Character or construction of a thing as determining its external appearance; outward aspect; make; figure; form; guise; as, the shape of a tree; the shape of the head; an elegant shape.

He beat me grievously, in the shape of a woman.

Shak.

2. That which has form or figure; a figure; an appearance; a being.

Before the gates three sat, On either side, a formidable shape.

Milton.

3. A model; a pattern; a mold.

4. Form of embodiment, as in words; form, as of thought or conception; concrete embodiment or example, as of some quality. Milton.

5. Dress for disguise; guise. [Obs.]

Look better on this virgin, and consider This Persian shape laid by, and she appearing In a Greekish dress.

Messinger.

6. (Iron Manuf.) (a) A rolled or hammered piece, as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar. (b) A piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted.

To take shape, to assume a definite form.

Shape"less, a. Destitute of shape or regular form; wanting symmetry of dimensions; misshapen; -- opposed to shapely. -- Shape"less*ness, n.

The shapeless rock, or hanging precipice.

Pope.

Shape"li*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being shapely.

Shape"ly, a. [Compar. Shapelier (?); superl. Shapeliest.] 1. Well-formed; having a regular shape; comely; symmetrical. T. Warton.

Waste sandy valleys, once perplexed with thorn, The spiry fir and shapely box adorn.

Pope.

Where the shapely column stood.

Couper.

2. Fit; suitable. [Obs.]

Shaply for to be an alderman.

Chaucer.

Shap"er (?), n. 1. One who shapes; as, the shaper of one's fortunes.

The secret of those old shapers died with them.

Lowell.

2. That which shapes; a machine for giving a particular form or outline to an object. Specifically; (a) (Metal Working) A kind of planer in which the tool, instead of the work, receives a reciprocating motion, usually from a crank. (b) (Wood Working) A machine with a vertically revolving cutter projecting above a flat table top, for cutting irregular outlines, moldings, etc.

Sha"poo (?), n. (Zoöl.) The oörial.

Shard (shärd), n. A plant; chard. [Obs.] Dryden.

Shard, n. [AS. sceard, properly a p. p. from the root of scearn to shear, to cut; akin to D. schaard a fragment, G. scharte a notch, Icel. skarð. See Shear, and cf. Sherd.] [Written also sheard, and sherd.] 1. A piece or fragment of an earthen vessel, or a like brittle substance, as the shell of an egg or snail. Shak.

The precious dish Broke into shards of beauty on the board.

E. Arnold.

2. (Zoöl.) The hard wing case of a beetle.

They are his shards, and he their beetle.

Shak.

3. A gap in a fence. [Obs.] Stanyhurst.

4. A boundary; a division. [Obs. & R.] Spenser.

Shard"-borne` (?), a. Borne on shards or scaly wing cases. "The shard-borne beetle." Shak.

Shard"ed, a. (Zoöl.) Having elytra, as a beetle.

Shard"y (?), a. Having, or consisting of, shards.

Share (?), n. [OE. schar, AS. scear; akin to OHG. scaro, G. schar, pflugshar, and E. shear, v. See Shear.] 1. The part (usually an iron or steel plate) of a plow which cuts the ground at the bottom of a furrow; a plowshare.

2. The part which opens the ground for the reception of the seed, in a machine for sowing seed. Knight.

Share, n. [OE. share, AS. scearu, scaru, fr. sceran to shear, cut. See Shear, v.] 1. A certain quantity; a portion; a part; a division; as, a small share of prudence.

2. Especially, the part allotted or belonging to one, of any property or interest owned by a number; a portion among others; an apportioned lot; an allotment; a dividend. "My share of fame." Dryden.

3. Hence, one of a certain number of equal portions into which any property or invested capital is divided; as, a ship owned in ten shares.

4. The pubes; the sharebone. [Obs.] Holland.

To go shares, to partake; to be equally concerned. -- Share and share alike, in equal shares.

Share, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sharing.] 1. To part among two or more; to distribute in portions; to divide.

Suppose I share my fortune equally between my children and a stranger.

Swift.

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2. To partake of, use, or experience, with others; to have a portion of; to take and possess in common; as, to share a shelter with another.

While avarice and rapine share the land.

Milton.

3. To cut; to shear; to cleave; to divide. [Obs.]

The shared visage hangs on equal sides.

Dryden.

Share (?), v. i. To have part; to receive a portion; to partake, enjoy, or suffer with others.

A right of inheritance gave every one a title to share in the goods of his father.

Locke.

Share"beam` (?), n. The part of the plow to which the share is attached.

Share"bone` (?), n. (Anat.) The public bone.

Share"bro`ker (?), n. A broker who deals in railway or other shares and securities.

Share"hold`er (?), n. One who holds or owns a share or shares in a joint fund or property.

Shar"er (?), n. One who shares; a participator; a partaker; also, a divider; a distributer.

Share"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A composite plant (Aster Tripolium) growing along the seacoast of Europe.

Shark (?), n. [Of uncertain origin; perhaps through OF. fr. carcharus a kind of dogfish, Gr. karchari`as, so called from its sharp teeth, fr. ka`rcharos having sharp or jagged teeth; or perhaps named from its rapacity (cf. Shark, v. t. & i.); cf. Corn. scarceas.] 1. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of elasmobranch fishes of the order Plagiostomi, found in all seas.

Some sharks, as the basking shark and the whale shark, grow to an enormous size, the former becoming forty feet or more, and the latter sixty feet or more, in length. Most of them are harmless to man, but some are exceedingly voracious. The man-eating sharks mostly belong to the genera Carcharhinus, Carcharodon, and related genera. They have several rows of large sharp teeth with serrated edges, as the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias, or Rondeleti) of tropical seas, and the great blue shark (Carcharhinus glaucus) of all tropical and temperate seas. The former sometimes becomes thirty-six feet long, and is the most voracious and dangerous species known. The rare man-eating shark of the United States coast (Charcarodon Atwoodi) is thought by some to be a variety, or the young, of C. carcharias. The dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), and the smaller blue shark (C. caudatus), both common species on the coast of the United States, are of moderate size and not dangerous. They feed on shellfish and bottom fishes.

2. A rapacious, artful person; a sharper. [Colloq.]

3. Trickery; fraud; petty rapine; as, to live upon the shark. [Obs.] South.

Baskin shark, Liver shark, Nurse shark, Oil shark, Sand shark, Tiger shark, etc. See under Basking, Liver, etc. See also Dogfish, Houndfish, Notidanian, and Tope. -- Gray shark, the sand shark. -- Hammer-headed shark. See Hammerhead. -- Port Jackson shark. See Cestraciont. -- Shark barrow, the eggcase of a shark; a sea purse. -- Shark ray. Same as Angel fish (a), under Angel. -- Thrasher shark, or Thresher shark, a large, voracious shark. See Thrasher. -- Whale shark, a huge harmless shark (Rhinodon typicus) of the Indian Ocean. It becomes sixty feet or more in length, but has very small teeth.

Shark, v. t. [Of uncertain origin; perhaps fr. shark, n., or perhaps related to E. shear (as hearken to hear), and originally meaning, to clip off. Cf. Shirk.] To pick or gather indiscriminately or covertly. [Obs.] Shak.

Shark, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sharked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sharking.] 1. To play the petty thief; to practice fraud or trickery; to swindle.

Neither sharks for a cup or a reckoning.

Bp. Earle.

2. To live by shifts and stratagems. Beau. & Fl.

Shark"er (?), n. One who lives by sharking.

Shark"ing, n. Petty rapine; trick; also, seeking a livelihood by shifts and dishonest devices.

Shar"ock (?), n. An East Indian coin of the value of 12½ pence sterling, or about 25 cents.

Sharp (?), a. [Compar. Sharper (?); superl. Sharpest.] [OE. sharp, scharp, scarp, AS. scearp; akin to OS. skarp, LG. scharp, D. scherp, G. scharf, Dan. & Sw. skarp, Icel. skarpr. Cf. Escarp, Scrape, Scorpion.] 1. Having a very thin edge or fine point; of a nature to cut or pierce easily; not blunt or dull; keen.

He dies upon my scimeter's sharp point.

Shak.

2. Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded; somewhat pointed or edged; peaked or ridged; as, a sharp hill; sharp features.

3. Affecting the sense as if pointed or cutting, keen, penetrating, acute: to the taste or smell, pungent, acid, sour, as ammonia has a sharp taste and odor; to the hearing, piercing, shrill, as a sharp sound or voice; to the eye, instantaneously brilliant, dazzling, as a sharp flash.

4. (Mus.) (a) High in pitch; acute; as, a sharp note or tone. (b) Raised a semitone in pitch; as, C sharp (C), which is a half step, or semitone, higher than C. (c) So high as to be out of tune, or above true pitch; as, the tone is sharp; that instrument is sharp. Opposed in all these senses to flat.

5. Very trying to the feelings; piercing; keen; severe; painful; distressing; as, sharp pain, weather; a sharp and frosty air.

Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.

Shak.

The morning sharp and clear.

Cowper.

In sharpest perils faithful proved.

Keble.

6. Cutting in language or import; biting; sarcastic; cruel; harsh; rigorous; severe; as, a sharp rebuke. "That sharp look." Tennyson.

To that place the sharp Athenian law Can not pursue us.

Shak.

Be thy words severe, Sharp as merits but the sword forbear.

Dryden.

7. Of keen perception; quick to discern or distinguish; having nice discrimination; acute; penetrating; sagacious; clever; as, a sharp eye; sharp sight, hearing, or judgment.

Nothing makes men sharper . . . than want.

Addison.

Many other things belong to the material world, wherein the sharpest philosophers have never ye&?; arrived at clear and distinct ideas.

L. Watts.

8. Eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite.

9. Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous. "In sharp contest of battle." Milton.

A sharp assault already is begun.

Dryden.

10. Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interest; close and exact in dealing; shrewd; as, a sharp dealer; a sharp customer.

The necessity of being so sharp and exacting.

Swift.

11. Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty; as, sharp sand. Moxon.

12. Steep; precipitous; abrupt; as, a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve.

13. (Phonetics) Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated.

Sharp is often used in the formation of self- explaining compounds; as, sharp-cornered, sharp-edged, sharp-pointed, sharp-tasted, sharp-visaged, etc.

Sharp practice, the getting of an advantage, or the attempt to do so, by a tricky expedient. -- To brace sharp, or To sharp up (Naut.), to turn the yards to the most oblique position possible, that the ship may lie well up to the wind.

Syn. -- Keen; acute; piercing; penetrating; quick; sagacious; discerning; shrewd; witty; ingenious; sour; acid; tart; pungent; acrid; severe; poignant; biting; acrimonious; sarcastic; cutting; bitter; painful; afflictive; violent; harsh; fierce; ardent; fiery.

Sharp (?), adv. 1. To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply. M. Arnold.

The head [of a spear] full sharp yground.

Chaucer.

You bite so sharp at reasons.

Shak.

2. Precisely; exactly; as, we shall start at ten o'clock sharp. [Colloq.]

Look sharp, attend; be alert. [Colloq.]

Sharp, n. 1. A sharp tool or weapon. [Obs.]

If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps, gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.

Collier.

2. (Mus.) (a) The character [] used to indicate that the note before which it is placed is to be raised a half step, or semitone, in pitch. (b) A sharp tone or note. Shak.

3. A portion of a stream where the water runs very rapidly. [Prov. Eng.] C. Kingsley.

4. A sewing needle having a very slender point; a needle of the most pointed of the three grades, blunts, betweens, and sharps.

5. pl. Same as Middlings, 1.

6. An expert. [Slang]

Sharp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sharped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sharping.] 1. To sharpen. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. (Mus.) To raise above the proper pitch; to elevate the tone of; especially, to raise a half step, or semitone, above the natural tone.

Sharp, v. i. 1. To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper. L'Estrange.

2. (Mus.) To sing above the proper pitch.

Sharp-cut` (?), a. Cut sharply or definitely, or so as to make a clear, well-defined impression, as the lines of an engraved plate, and the like; clear-cut; hence, having great distinctness; well-defined; clear.

Sharp"en (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sarpened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sharpening.] [See Sharp, a.] To make sharp. Specifically: (a) To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw. (b) To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious.

The air . . . sharpened his visual ray To objects distant far.

Milton.

He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.

Burke.

(c) To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires.

Epicurean cooks Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite.

Shak.

(d) To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease. (e) To make biting, sarcastic, or severe. "Sharpen each word." E. Smith. (f) To render more shrill or piercing.

Inclosures not only preserve sound, but increase and sharpen it.

Bacon.

(g) To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar. (h) (Mus.) To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to.

Sharp"en, v. i. To grow or become sharp.

Sharp"er (?), n. A person who bargains closely, especially, one who cheats in bargains; a swinder; also, a cheating gamester.

Sharpers, as pikes, prey upon their own kind.

L'Estrange.

Syn. -- Swindler; cheat; deceiver; trickster; rogue. See Swindler.

Sharp"ie (?), n. (Naut.) A long, sharp, flat-bottomed boat, with one or two masts carrying a triangular sail. They are often called Fair Haven sharpies, after the place on the coast of Connecticut where they originated. [Local, U.S.]

Sharp"ling (?), n. (Zoöl.) A stickleback. [Prov. Eng.]

Sharp"ly, adv. In a sharp manner,; keenly; acutely.

They are more sharply to be chastised and reformed than the rude Irish.

Spenser.

The soldiers were sharply assailed with wants.

Hayward.

You contract your eye when you would see sharply.

Bacon.

Sharp"ness, n. [AS. scearpness.] The quality or condition of being sharp; keenness; acuteness.

Sharp"saw` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The great titmouse; -- so called from its harsh call notes. [Prov. Eng.]

Sharp"-set` (?), a. Eager in appetite or desire of gratification; affected by keen hunger; ravenous; as, an eagle or a lion sharp-set.

The town is sharp-set on new plays.

Pope.

Sharp"shoot`er (?), n. One skilled in shooting at an object with exactness; a good marksman.

Sharp"shoot`ing, n. A shooting with great precision and effect; hence, a keen contest of wit or argument.

Sharp"-sight`ed (?), a. Having quick or acute sight; -- used literally and figuratively. -- Sharp`-sight`ed*ness, n.

Sharp"tail` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) The pintail duck. (b) The pintail grouse, or prairie chicken.

Sharp"-wit`ted (?), a. Having an acute or nicely discerning mind.

Shash (?), n. [See Sash.] 1. The scarf of a turban. [Obs.] Fuller.

2. A sash. [Obs.]

{ ||Shas"ter (?), ||Shas"tra (?), } n. [Skr. cstra an order or command, a sacred book, fr. cs to order, instruct, govern. Cf. Sastra.] A treatise for authoritative instruction among the Hindoos; a book of institutes; especially, a treatise explaining the Vedas. [Written also sastra.]

Shath"mont (&?;), n. A shaftment. [Scot.]

Shat"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shattered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Shattering.] [OE. schateren, scateren, to scatter, to dash, AS. scateran; cf. D. schateren to crack, to make a great noise, OD. schetteren to scatter, to burst, to crack. Cf. Scatter.] 1. To break at once into many pieces; to dash, burst, or part violently into fragments; to rend into splinters; as, an explosion shatters a rock or a bomb; too much steam shatters a boiler; an oak is shattered by lightning.

A monarchy was shattered to pieces, and divided amongst revolted subjects.

Locke.

2. To disorder; to derange; to render unsound; as, to be shattered in intellect; his constitution was shattered; his hopes were shattered.

A man of a loose, volatile, and shattered humor.

Norris.

3. To scatter about. [Obs.]

Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year.

Milton.

Shat"ter, v. i. To be broken into fragments; to fall or crumble to pieces by any force applied.

Some fragile bodies break but where the force is; some shatter and fly in many places.

Bacon.

Shat"ter, n. A fragment of anything shattered; -- used chiefly or soley in the phrase into shatters; as, to break a glass into shatters. Swift.

{ Shat"ter-brained` (?), Shat"ter-pat`ed (?), } a. Disordered or wandering in intellect; hence, heedless; wild. J. Goodman.

Shat"ter*y (?), a. Easily breaking into pieces; not compact; loose of texture; brittle; as, shattery spar.

Shave (?), obs. p. p. of Shave. Chaucer.

His beard was shave as nigh as ever he can.

Chaucer.

Shave, v. t. [imp. Shaved (?);p. p. Shaved or Shaven (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Shaving.] [OE. shaven, schaven, AS. scafan, sceafan; akin to D. schaven, G. schaben, Icel. skafa, Sw. skafva, Dan. skave, Goth. scaban, Russ. kopate to dig, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, and probably to L. scabere to scratch, to scrape. Cf. Scab, Shaft, Shape.] 1. To cut or pare off from the surface of a body with a razor or other edged instrument; to cut off closely, as with a razor; as, to shave the beard.

2. To make bare or smooth by cutting off closely the surface, or surface covering, of; especially, to remove the hair from with a razor or other sharp instrument; to take off the beard or hair of; as, to shave the face or the crown of the head; he shaved himself.

I'll shave your crown for this.

Shak.

The laborer with the bending scythe is seen Shaving the surface of the waving green.

Gay.

3. To cut off thin slices from; to cut in thin slices.

Plants bruised or shaven in leaf or root.

Bacon.

4. To skim along or near the surface of; to pass close to, or touch lightly, in passing.

Now shaves with level wing the deep.

Milton.

5. To strip; to plunder; to fleece. [Colloq.]

To shave a note, to buy it at a discount greater than the legal rate of interest, or to deduct in discounting it more than the legal rate allows. [Cant, U.S.]

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Shave (?), v. i. To use a razor for removing the beard; to cut closely; hence, to be hard and severe in a bargain; to practice extortion; to cheat.

Shave (?), n. [AS. scafa, sceafa, a sort of knife. See Shave, v. t.] 1. A thin slice; a shaving. Wright.

2. A cutting of the beard; the operation of shaving.

3. (a) An exorbitant discount on a note. [Cant, U.S.] (b) A premium paid for an extension of the time of delivery or payment, or for the right to vary a stock contract in any particular. [Cant, U.S.] N. Biddle.

4. A hand tool consisting of a sharp blade with a handle at each end; a drawing knife; a spokeshave.

5. The act of passing very near to, so as almost to graze; as, the bullet missed by a close shave. [Colloq.]

Shave grass (Bot.), the scouring rush. See the Note under Equisetum. -- Shave hook, a tool for scraping metals, consisting of a sharp- edged triangular steel plate attached to a shank and handle.

Shave"ling (?), n. A man shaved; hence, a monk, or other religious; -- used in contempt.

I am no longer a shaveling than while my frock is on my back.

Sir W. Scott.

Shav"er (?), n. 1. One who shaves; one whose occupation is to shave.

2. One who is close in bargains; a sharper. Swift.

3. One who fleeces; a pillager; a plunderer.

By these shavers the Turks were stripped.

Knolles.

4. A boy; a lad; a little fellow. [Colloq.] "These unlucky little shavers." Salmagundi.

As I have mentioned at the door to this young shaver, I am on a chase in the name of the king.

Dickens.

5. (Mech.) A tool or machine for shaving.

A note shaver, a person who buys notes at a discount greater than the legal rate of interest. [Cant, U.S.]

Shav"ing, n. 1. The act of one who, or that which, shaves; specifically, the act of cutting off the beard with a razor.

2. That which is shaved off; a thin slice or strip pared off with a shave, a knife, a plane, or other cutting instrument. "Shaving of silver." Chaucer.

Shaving brush, a brush used in lathering the face preparatory to shaving it.

Shaw (sh), n. [OE. schawe, schae, thicket, grove, AS. scaga; akin to Dan. skov, Sw. skog, Icel. skgr.] 1. A thicket; a small wood or grove. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Burns.

Gaillard he was as goldfinch in the shaw.

Chaucer.

The green shaws, the merry green woods.

Howitt.

2. pl. The leaves and tops of vegetables, as of potatoes, turnips, etc. [Scot.] Jamieson.

Shaw"fowl`, n. [Scot. schaw, shaw, show + fowl.] The representation or image of a fowl made by fowlers to shoot at. Johnson.

Shawl (?), n. [Per. & Hind. shl: cf. F. châle.] A square or oblong cloth of wool, cotton, silk, or other textile or netted fabric, used, especially by women, as a loose covering for the neck and shoulders.

India shawl, a kind of rich shawl made in India from the wool of the Cashmere goat. It is woven in pieces, which are sewed together. -- Shawl goat (Zoöl.), the Cashmere goat.

Shawl, v. t. To wrap in a shawl. Thackeray.

Shawm (?), n. [OE. shalmie, OF. chalemie; cf. F. chalumeau shawm, chaume haulm, stalk; all fr. L. calamus a reed, reed pipe. See Haulm, and cf. Calumet.] (Mus.) A wind instrument of music, formerly in use, supposed to have resembled either the clarinet or the hautboy in form. [Written also shalm, shaum.] Otway.

Even from the shrillest shaum unto the cornamute.

Drayton.

Shaw`nees" (?), n. pl.; sing. Shawnee (&?;). (Ethnol.) A tribe of North American Indians who occupied Western New York and part of Ohio, but were driven away and widely dispersed by the Iroquois.

Shay (?), n. A chaise. [Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S.]

She (?), pron. [sing. nom. She; poss. Her. (&?;) or Hers (&?;); obj. Her; pl. nom. They (?); poss. Their (?) or Theirs (&?;); obj. Them (?).] [OE. she, sche, scheo, scho, AS. seó, fem. of the definite article, originally a demonstrative pronoun; cf. OS. siu, D. zij, G. sie, OHG. siu, s, si, Icel. s, sj, Goth. si she, s, fem. article, Russ. siia, fem., this, Gr. &?;, fem. article, Skr. s, sy. The possessive her or hers, and the objective her, are from a different root. See Her.] 1. This or that female; the woman understood or referred to; the animal of the female sex, or object personified as feminine, which was spoken of.

She loved her children best in every wise.

Chaucer.

Then Sarah denied, . . . for she was afraid.

Gen. xviii. 15.

2. A woman; a female; -- used substantively. [R.]

Lady, you are the cruelest she alive.

Shak.

She is used in composition with nouns of common gender, for female, to denote an animal of the female sex; as, a she-bear; a she-cat.

Shead"ing (?), n. [From AS. scdan, sceádan, to separate, divide. See Shed, v. t.] A tithing, or division, in the Isle of Man, in which there is a coroner, or chief constable. The island is divided into six sheadings.

Sheaf (?), n. (Mech.) A sheave. [R.]

Sheaf, n.; pl. Sheaves (#). [OE. sheef, shef, schef, AS. sceáf; akin to D. schoof, OHG. scoub, G. schaub, Icel. skauf a fox's brush, and E. shove. See Shove.] 1. A quantity of the stalks and ears of wheat, rye, or other grain, bound together; a bundle of grain or straw.

The reaper fills his greedy hands, And binds the golden sheaves in brittle bands.

Dryden.

2. Any collection of things bound together; a bundle; specifically, a bundle of arrows sufficient to fill a quiver, or the allowance of each archer, -- usually twenty-four.

The sheaf of arrows shook and rattled in the case.

Dryden.

Sheaf, v. t. To gather and bind into a sheaf; to make into sheaves; as, to sheaf wheat.

Sheaf (?), v. i. To collect and bind cut grain, or the like; to make sheaves.

They that reap must sheaf and bind.

Shak.

Sheaf"y (?), a. Pertaining to, or consisting of, a sheaf or sheaves; resembling a sheaf.

Sheal (?), n. Same as Sheeling. [Scot.]

Sheal, v. t. To put under a sheal or shelter. [Scot.]

Sheal, v. t. [See Shell.] To take the husks or pods off from; to shell; to empty of its contents, as a husk or a pod. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Jamieson.

That's a shealed peascod.

Shak.

Sheal, n. A shell or pod. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Sheal"ing, n. The outer husk, pod, or shell, as of oats, pease, etc.; sheal; shell. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Sheal"ing, n. Same as Sheeling. [Scot.]

Shear (?), v. t. [imp. Sheared (?) or Shore (&?;);p. p. Sheared or Shorn (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Shearing.] [OE. sheren, scheren, to shear, cut, shave, AS. sceran, scieran, scyran; akin to D. & G. scheren, Icel. skera, Dan. ski&?;re, Gr. &?;&?;&?;. Cf. Jeer, Score, Shard, Share, Sheer to turn aside.] 1. To cut, clip, or sever anything from with shears or a like instrument; as, to shear sheep; to shear cloth.

It is especially applied to the cutting of wool from sheep or their skins, and the nap from cloth.

2. To separate or sever with shears or a similar instrument; to cut off; to clip (something) from a surface; as, to shear a fleece.

Before the golden tresses . . . were shorn away.

Shak.

3. To reap, as grain. [Scot.] Jamieson.

4. Fig.: To deprive of property; to fleece.

5. (Mech.) To produce a change of shape in by a shear. See Shear, n., 4.

Shear, n. [AS. sceara. See Shear, v. t.] 1. A pair of shears; -- now always used in the plural, but formerly also in the singular. See Shears.

On his head came razor none, nor shear.

Chaucer.

Short of the wool, and naked from the shear.

Dryden.

2. A shearing; -- used in designating the age of sheep.

After the second shearing, he is a two-shear ram; . . . at the expiration of another year, he is a three- shear ram; the name always taking its date from the time of shearing.

Youatt.

3. (Engin.) An action, resulting from applied forces, which tends to cause two contiguous parts of a body to slide relatively to each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact; -- also called shearing stress, and tangential stress.

4. (Mech.) A strain, or change of shape, of an elastic body, consisting of an extension in one direction, an equal compression in a perpendicular direction, with an unchanged magnitude in the third direction.

Shear blade, one of the blades of shears or a shearing machine. -- Shear hulk. See under Hulk. -- Shear steel, a steel suitable for shears, scythes, and other cutting instruments, prepared from fagots of blistered steel by repeated heating, rolling, and tilting, to increase its malleability and fineness of texture.

Shear, v. i. 1. To deviate. See Sheer.

2. (Engin.) To become more or less completely divided, as a body under the action of forces, by the sliding of two contiguous parts relatively to each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact.

Shear"bill`, n. (Zoöl.) The black skimmer. See Skimmer.

Sheard (?), n. See Shard. [Obs.]

Shear"er (?), n. 1. One who shears.

Like a lamb dumb before his shearer.

Acts viii. 32.

2. A reaper. [Scot.] Jamieson.

Shear"ing, n. 1. The act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine, as the wool from sheep, or the nap from cloth.

2. The product of the act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine; as, the whole shearing of a flock; the shearings from cloth.

3. Same as Shearling. Youatt.

4. The act or operation of reaping. [Scot.]

5. The act or operation of dividing with shears; as, the shearing of metal plates.

6. The process of preparing shear steel; tilting.

7. (Mining) The process of making a vertical side cutting in working into a face of coal.

Shearing machine. (a) A machine with blades, or rotary disks, for dividing plates or bars of metal. (b) A machine for shearing cloth.

Shear"ling (?), n. A sheep but once sheared.

Shear"man (?), n.; pl. Shearmen (&?;). One whose occupation is to shear cloth.

Shearn (?), n. [AS. scearn. Cf. Scarn.] Dung; excrement. [Obs.] [Written also shern.] Holland.

Shears (?), n. pl. [Formerly used also in the singular. See Shear, n., 1.] 1. A cutting instrument. Specifically: (a) An instrument consisting of two blades, commonly with bevel edges, connected by a pivot, and working on both sides of the material to be cut, -- used for cutting cloth and other substances.

Fate urged the shears, and cut the sylph in twain.

Pope.

(b) A similar instrument the blades of which are extensions of a curved spring, -- used for shearing sheep or skins. (c) A shearing machine; a blade, or a set of blades, working against a resisting edge.

2. Anything in the form of shears. Specifically: (a) A pair of wings. [Obs.] Spenser. (b) An apparatus for raising heavy weights, and especially for stepping and unstepping the lower masts of ships. It consists of two or more spars or pieces of timber, fastened together near the top, steadied by a guy or guys, and furnished with the necessary tackle. [Written also sheers.]

3. (Mach.) The bedpiece of a machine tool, upon which a table or slide rest is secured; as, the shears of a lathe or planer. See Illust. under Lathe.

Rotary shears. See under Rotary.

Shear"tail` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) The common tern. (b) Any one of several species of humming birds of the genus Thaumastura having a long forked tail.

Shear"wa`ter (?), n. [Shear + water; cf. G. wassersherer; -- so called from its running lightly along the surface of the water.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of long-winged oceanic birds of the genus Puffinus and related genera. They are allied to the petrels, but are larger. The Manx shearwater (P. Anglorum), the dusky shearwater (P. obscurus), and the greater shearwater (P. major), are well-known species of the North Atlantic. See Hagdon.

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