Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary 1908/Shilpit Simnel

Shilpit, shil′pit, adj. (Scot.) weak, washy: feeble-looking. [Ety. dub.]

Shily, same as Shyly. See Shy.

Shim, shim, n. (mach.) a thin slip used to fill up space caused by wear.—v.t. to wedge up. [Ety. dub.]

Shimmer, shim′ėr, v.i. to gleam tremulously, to glisten.—ns. ', ', a tremulous gleam. [A.S. scimrian—scíman, to shine; Ger. schimmern.]

Shin, shin, n. the large bone of the leg or the forepart of it: a bird's shank.—v.i. to climb a tree (with up): to tramp, trudge.—v.t. to climb a tree by swarming up it: to kick on the shins.—ns. ', the tibia; ', a piece of armour defending the forepart of the leg;  (U.S.), a patch of brown-paper steeped in vinegar, &c., laid on a sore: a small paper note or promise to pay. [A.S. scina, the shin (esp. in the compound scin-bán, shin-bone); Dut. scheen, Ger. schiene.]

Shin, shin, n. a god, or the gods: the term used by Protestant missionaries in Japan and China for the Supreme Being.

Shindy, shin′di, n. the game of shinty, shinny, bandy-ball, or hockey: (slang) a row, disturbance.—Kick up a shindy, to make a disturbance.

Shine, shīn, v.i. to beam with steady radiance: to glitter: to be bright or beautiful: to be eminent.—v.t. to cause to shine:—pa.t. and pa.p. shone (shon), (B.) shīned.—adj. (Spens.) bright.—n. brightness: splendour: fair weather: (slang) disturbance, row, a trick.—n. ', that which shines: (slang) a coin, esp. a sovereign: a small American fresh-water fish.—adj. '.—adv. '.—n. '.—adj. , clear, unclouded: glossy.—Cause, or Make, the face to shine (B.), to be propitious; Take the shine out of (slang), to outshine, eclipse. [A.S. scínan; Ger. scheinen.]

Shingle, shing′gl, n. wood sawed or split thin, used instead of slates or tiles, for roofing houses: (U.S.) a small sign-board or plate.—v.t. to cover with shingles: to crop the hair very close.—adjs. ', ', having the roof covered with shingles.—ns. '; '. [Low L. scindula, a wooden tile—L. scindĕre, to split.]

Shingle, shing′gl, n. the coarse gravel on the shores of rivers or of the sea.—adj. . [Orig. single—Norw. singel, singling, shingle—singla, freq. of singa, to ring.]

Shingles, shing′glz, n. popular name for the disease Herpes zoster. [A corr. of L. cingulum, a belt or girdle—cingĕre, to gird.]

Shinny, shin′i, n. the game of bandy-ball or hockey. [Prob. Gael, sinteag, a bound.]

Shinti-yan, shin′ti-yan, n. the loose drawers worn by Moslem women.—Also .

Shinto, shin′tō, n. the system of nature and hero worship forming the indigenous religion of Japan.—ns. '; '. [Jap.,=Chin. shin tao—shin, god, tao, way, doctrine.]

Shinty, shin′ti, n. Same as Shinny.

Ship, ship, n. a vessel having three masts, with tops and yards to each: generally, any large sea-going vessel.—v.t. to put on board a ship: to engage for service on board a ship: to transport by ship: to fix in its place.—v.i. to engage for service on shipboard:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. shipped.—ns. ', hard biscuit for use on shipboard; ', the deck or side of a ship; ', a boy that serves on board a ship; ', one who breaks up vessels no longer fit for sea; , a broker who effects sales, insurance, &c. of ships; ', one whose occupation is to construct ships; '; ', a canal large enough to admit the passage of sea-going vessels; ', one who commands a ship; ', a carpenter who works at shipbuilding; ', a dealer in cordage, canvas, and other ship furniture or stores; ', the business wares of a ship-chandler; ', typhus fever, as common on board crowded ships; ', as much or as many as a ship will hold; ', a ship-owner; ', a letter sent by a vessel which does not carry mails; ', the load or cargo of a ship; ', a sailor:—pl. '; ', the captain of a ship; ', a companion in the same ship; ', act of putting on board ship: embarkation: that which is shipped; ', a tyrannical tax imposed by the king on seaports, revived without authorisation of parliament by Charles I. in 1634-37; ', before steam navigation, a man-of-war large enough to take a place in a line of battle; ', the owner of a ship or ships.—adj. Shipped (Shak.), furnished with a ship or ships.—ns. '; ', ships collectively: tonnage: (Shak.) a voyage; ', the agent of a vessel or line of vessels to whom goods are consigned for shipment.—n.pl. ', articles of agreement, between the captain and his crew.—ns. ', invoice of goods embarked; ', the official who witnesses signature by the sailors of the articles of agreement; ', the office of a shipping-agent, or of a shipping-master; ', a unit of weight in the Baltic ports; ', a railway by means of which vessels can be carried overland from one body of water to another.—adjs. ' (naut.), rigged like a ship, having three masts with square sails and spreading yards; ', in a seaman-like manner: trim, neat, proper.—ns. ', the owner's agent in the management of a ship; ' (Shak.), a sort of head-dress, whether from its streamers or its general likeness to a ship; ', the supports forming a sliding-way for the building, repairing, and launching of vessels; ', a genus (Teredo) of worm-like molluscs which perforate and live in timber, lining the cavity or tube with a calcareous encrustation; ', the wreck or destruction of a ship: destruction.—v.t. to destroy on the sea: to make to suffer wreck.—ns. ', a wright or carpenter who constructs ships; ', a yard where ships are built or repaired.—Ship a sea, to have a wave come aboard; Ship's papers, documents required for the manifestation of the property of a ship and cargo; Ship the oars (see Oar).—About ship! an exclamation to pull in the sheet preparatory to changing a ship's course during a tack; Make shipwreck of, to ruin, destroy; On shipboard, upon or within a ship; Take ship, or shipping, to embark. [A.S. scip—scippan, to make—scapan, to shape; Goth. skip, Ice. skip, Ger. schiff.]

Shippen, ship′n, n. (prov.) a stable.—Also .

Shippo, ship-pō′, n. Japanese enamel, cloisonné.

Shipton, ship′ton, n. usually 'Mother Shipton,' a famous prophetess of popular English tradition, born near Knaresborough in 1488.

Shiraz, shē-räz′, n. a Persian wine. [Shiraz.]

Shire, shīr, shir (in county-names), n. a county, one of the larger divisions of England for political purposes—originally a division of the kingdom under a sheriff, the deputy of the ealdorman: a term also surviving as applied to certain smaller districts in England, as Richmondshire and Hallamshire.—ns. ', a sheriff; ', , formerly in England a court of the county held periodically by the sheriff together with the bishop or the ealdorman. [A.S. scir, scire, a county, sciran, a secondary form of sceran, to cut off.]

Shirk, shėrk, v.t. to avoid, get off or slink away from.—n. '.—adj. '. [A form of shark.]

Shirl, shėrl, v.i. (prov.) to slide.

Shirr, Shir, shėr, n. a puckering made in a fabric by parallel gathering-threads.—v.t. to produce such.—adj. Shirred, having lines or cords inserted between the threads, as in certain elastic fabrics.—ns. ', decorative-shirred needlework; ', a cord used to gather the threads together in shirred-work. [Ety. dub.]

Shirt, shėrt, n. a short garment worn next the body by men: an interior lining in a blast-furnace.—v.t. to cover as with a shirt.—ns. ', a fine cambric frill worn in the early years of the 19th century on the breast of the shirt; ', that part of the shirt which is open and covers the breast, generally of finer material, starched stiffly; ', cloth for shirts: shirts collectively.—adj. ', without a shirt.—ns. ', the sleeve of a shirt; ', a woman's overgarment or blouse, coming to the waist and belted there.—Bloody shirt, a blood-stained shirt, as the symbol of murder; Boiled shirt, a white shirt clean washed; In one's shirt-sleeves, without the coat. [Scand.; Ice. skyrta—skortr, shortness.]

Shist, &c. See Schist, &c.

Shitepoke, shīt′pōk, n. the North American small green heron.

Shittah, shit′a, n. a tree whose durable wood—Shittim wood—was used in the construction of the Jewish Tabernacle and its furniture—prob. the Acacia seyal. [Heb. shittah, pl. shittīm.]

Shivaree, shiv′a-rē, v.t. (U.S.) to give a mock serenade to.—Also n. [A corr. of charivari.]

Shive, shīv, n. (Shak.) a slice, as of bread: a small bung for closing a wide-mouthed bottle. [Scand., Ice. skífa, a slice; Dut. schijf, Ger. scheibe.]

Shiver, shiv′ėr, n. a splinter, or small piece into which a thing breaks by sudden violence.—v.t. to shatter.—v.i. to fall into shivers.—n. ', a slaty calcite or calcium carbonate.—adj. ', brittle.—Shiver my timbers, a nautical imprecation. [Skeat explains shiver as a dim. of the foregoing shive, a thin slice, the same as prov. Eng. sheave, a thin disc of wood, wheel of a pulley—Ice. skífa, a slice; Dut. schijf, Ger. scheibe.]

Shiver, shiv′ėr, v.i. to shake or tremble: to shudder.—v.t. to cause to shake in the wind, as sails.—n. '.—adv. ', with shivering or trembling.—adj. , inclined to shiver.—The shivers (coll.), the ague, chills. [M. E. chiveren, a softened form of kiveren, supposed by Skeat to be a Scand. form of quiver, and a freq. of Ice. kippa, to pull, the spelling with sh being due to confusion with shiver (n.).]

Shizoku, shē-zō′kōō, n. the two-sworded men of Japan, the gentry proper.

Shoal, shōl, n. a great multitude of fishes swimming together.—v.i. to crowd.—adv. , in shoals. [A.S. scólu, company—L. schola, school.]

Shoal, shōl, n. a shallow: a place where the water of a river, sea, or lake is not deep: a sandbank.—adj. shallow.—v.i. to grow shallow: to come upon shallows.—ns. ', a coasting vessel; '; ', filling up with shoals; ', a mark set up to indicate shoal-water; ', shallowness.—adj. ', full of shoals or shallows: not deep. [Scand.; Ice. skálgr, oblique; cf. Shallow.]

Shock, shok, n. a violent shake: a sudden dashing of one thing against another: violent onset: an offence: a condition of prostration of voluntary and involuntary functions caused by trauma, a surgical operation, or excessive sudden emotional disturbance: (coll.) a sudden attack of paralysis, a stroke: an electrical stimulant to sensory nerves, &c.: any very strong emotion.—v.t. to shake by violence: to offend: to disgust: to dismay.—v.i. to collide with violence.—n. ' (coll.), a very sensational tale.—adj. ', offensive, repulsive.—adv. '.—n. '. [Prof. Skeat explains M. E. schokken, to shock, as from O. Fr. choc, a shock, choquer, to give a shock—Old High Ger. scoc, a shock, shaking movement. Cf. A.S. scóc, pa.t. of sceacan, to shake.]

Shock, shok, n. a heap or pile of sheaves of corn.—v.t. to make up into shocks or stooks.—n. . [M. E. schokke—Old Dut. schocke.]

Shock, shok, n. a dog with long, shaggy hair: a mass of shaggy hair.—n. ', a rough-haired dog, a poodle.—adjs. ', , having a thick and bushy head of hair. [A variant of shag.]

Shod, shod, pa.t. and pa.p. of shoe.

Shoddy, shod′i, n. (orig.) the waste arising from the manufacture of wool: now applied to the wool of old woven fabrics reduced to the state in which it was before being spun and woven, and thus fit for remanufacture: the inferior cloth made from this substance: worthless goods: (coll.) pretence, sham, vulgar and baseless assumption.—adj. made of shoddy: inferior, trashy: pretentious, sham, counterfeit: ambitious by reason of newly-acquired wealth.—n. . [Shed, to part—A.S. sceádan, to part.]

Shoe, shōō, n. a covering for the foot, not coming above the ankle: a rim of iron nailed to the hoof of an animal to keep it from injury: anything in form or use like a shoe:—pl. Shoes (shōōz).—v.t. to furnish with shoes: to cover at the bottom:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. shod.—ns. ', the whalehead (Balæniceps); ', one who blacks and cleans shoes or boots; ', blacking for boots and shoes; ', a boy who cleans shoes; ', a brush for cleaning boots or shoes; ', a buckle for fastening the shoe on the foot, by means of a latchet passing over the instep; ', a broad-faced hammer for pounding leather and for driving pegs, &c.; ', a curved piece of horn or metal used in putting on a shoe; ', a shoehorn: (obs.) anything by which a transaction is facilitated; ', a shoe-string; , a thong for holding a shoe, sandal, &c. on the foot; ', leather for shoes: shoes or shoeing generally.—adj. ', destitute of shoes.—ns. ', one whose trade or occupation is to make shoes or boots; '; ', a small peg of wood or metal for fastening different parts of a shoe together; ', one who furnishes shoes, a horse-shoer; ', a last having a movable piece for distending the leather of the shoe in any part; ', a string used to draw the sides of the shoe or boot together; ', a cord or string for lacing a shoe: (Shak.) a traveller; ', one employed in a shoe-factory.—Another pair of shoes (coll.), quite a different matter; Be in one's shoes, or boots, to be in one's place; Die in one's shoes, to die by violence, esp. by hanging; Put the shoe on the right foot, to lay the blame where it rightly belongs. [A.S. sceó; Goth. skohs, Ger. schuh.]

Shog, shog, v.i. to shake, jog, move on, be gone.—v.t. to shake.—n. a jog, shock. [Celt., W. ysgogi, to wag, ysgog, a jolt.]

Shogun, shō′gōōn, n. the title of the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army during the continuance of the feudal system in Japan.—adj. '.—n. '. [Jap.,—sho, to hold, gun, army.]

Shone, shon, pa.t. and pa.p. of shine.

Shoo, shōō, interj. off! away! to scare away fowls, &c.—v.i. to cry 'Shoo!'—v.t. to drive away by calling 'Shoo!' [Cf. Fr. chou, Gr. sou.]

Shook, shook, pa.t. of shake.

Shool, shōōl, v.i. to saunter about, to beg.

Shooldarry, shōōl-där′i, n. a small tent with steep sloping roof and low sides. [Hind.]

Shoon, shōōn, an old pl. of shoe.

Shoot, shōōt, v.t. to dart: to let fly with force: to discharge from a bow or gun: to strike with a shot: to thrust forward: to pass rapidly through: to lay out, place in position: to hunt over, to kill game in or on: to send forth new parts, as a plant.—v.i. to perform the act of shooting: to variegate, to colour in spots or threads: to be driven along: to fly, as an arrow: to jut out: to germinate: to advance or grow rapidly: to hunt birds, &c., with a gun:—pa.t. and pa.p. shot.—n. act of shooting: a match at shooting, shooting-party: a young branch: (Shak.) a sprouting horn: a passage-way in a mine for letting one down: a sloping trough used for discharging articles or goods from a height: a river-fall, rapid.—adj. ', that may be shot, or shot over.—ns. ', one who, or that which, shoots; ', act of discharging firearms or an arrow: sensation of a quick pain: act or practice of killing game: right to kill game with firearms on a certain area: the district so limited; ', a small house in the country for use in the shooting season; ', a long room used for practice in the use of firearms; ' (slang), a revolver; ', a short kind of coat for shooting in; ', a place for practising shooting at targets at measured distances; ', a meteor or falling star; ', a printer's tool of wood or metal, to be struck with a mallet, for driving quoins.—Shoot ahead, to get to the front among a set of competitors; Shoot over, to go out shooting: to hunt upon.— be shot (slang), a mild imprecation. [A.S. sceótan; Dut. schieten, Ger. schiessen, to dart.]

Shop, shop, n. a building in which goods are sold by retail: a place where mechanics work, or where any kind of industry is pursued: one's own business or profession, also talk about such.—v.i. to visit shops for the purpose of buying.—v.t. (slang) to imprison:—pr.p. pa.p. shopped.—ns. ', a small automatic bell hung to give notice of the opening of a shop-door; ', a bench on which work, esp. that of tailors, is done; ', ', a boy or girl employed in a shop; ', one who keeps a shop for the sale of goods by retail; ', the business of keeping a shop; '; ', lifting or stealing anything from a shop; ', one who serves in a shop: a shopkeeper; ', shopkeepers collectively; ', the act of visiting shops to see and buy goods.—adj. ', commercial: abounding in shops: given to talking shop: concerning one's own pursuit.—ns. ', one who walks about in a shop and sees the customers attended to; ', a woman employed in a shop.—adj. , somewhat tarnished by being exposed in a shop.—Fancy shop, a shop where fancy goods are sold.—Shut up shop (coll.), to abandon any enterprise; The other shop (slang), a rival institution or establishment; The whole shop (slang), entirely; Talk shop (coll.), to converse unseasonably about one's own profession. [A.S. sceoppa, a treasury (influenced by O. Fr. eschoppe, a stall.)]

Shore, shōr, pa.t. of shear.

Shore, shōr, n. the coast or land adjacent to the sea, to a river, or lake.—v.t. (Shak.) to set on shore.—ns. ', duty on goods when brought on shore from a ship; ', the anchor lying towards the shore; ', a cliff at the water's edge; ', land bordering on a shore.—adj. ', having no coast: indefinite or unlimited.—n. ', a fisherman along shore: a sole or part owner of a vessel: a longshoreman.—adv. ', towards the shore.—n. ', the pursuit of the whale near the shore. [A.S. score—sceran, to shear.]

Shore, shōr, n. a prop or support for the side of a building, or to keep a vessel in dock steady on the slips.—v.t. to prop (often with up).—ns. '; ', the act of supporting with props: a set of props. [Skeat refers to Ice. skortha, a prop, esp. under a boat—skor-inn, pa.p. of skera, to shear.]

Shore, shōr, v.t. (Scot.) to warn, threaten: to offer. [Perh. a form of score, or another form of sure, equivalent to assure.]

Shorl, Shorlaceous. See Schorl.

Shorn, shorn, pa.p. of shear.—n. ', ', a newly-shorn sheep.

Short, short, adj. (comp. Short′er, superl. ') not long in time or space: not tall: near at hand, early in date: scanty, lacking, insufficient: in error, deficient in wisdom, grasp, memory, &c.: narrow: abrupt, curt, sharp, uncivil: brittle, crumbling away readily: not prolonged in utterance, unaccented: (coll.) undiluted with water, neat: falling below a certain standard (with of): of stocks, &c., not having in possession when selling, not able to meet one's engagements, pertaining to short stocks or to those who have sold short.—adv. not long.—n. a summary account: a short time or syllable: whatever is deficient in number, quantity, &c.: a short sale, one who has made such: (pl.) small clothes, knee-breeches: the bran and coarse part of meal, in mixture.—ns. ', deficiency; ', less than the regular allowance; ', the character '&,' the ampersand.—adj. ', having short arms, not reaching far.—ns. ', one having less than ten days to run; ', a rich tea-cake made short and crisp with butter or lard and baked—also ' (Scot.): (U.S.) a light cake, prepared in layers with fruit between, served with cream; ' (electr.), a path of comparatively low resistance between two points of a circuit.—n.pl. ', small clothes, the dress of young children after the first long clothes.—v.t. ', to dress in short-coats.—n.pl. ', the shortened skirts of a child when the first long clothes are left off.—n. ', act of coming or falling short of produce or result: neglect of, or failure in, duty.—n.pl. ' (see Common).—n. ', the short cross-bar of a printer's chase.—adjs. ', cut short instead of in long shreds—of tobacco, &c.—also n.; ', having short or little time to run from its date, as a bill.—n. ', a method of division with a divisor not larger than 12—opp. to Long-division.—v.t. ', to make short: to deprive: to make friable.—v.i. to become short or shorter: to contract.—n. ', a loose jacket with a skirt, worn by women, a bed-gown.—adj. ' (Shak.), provided or covered with short grass.—n. ', an art by which writing is made shorter and easier, so as to keep pace with speaking.—adj. ', not having the proper number of servants, work-people, &c.—ns. ', a stenographer; ', one of a breed of cattle having very short horns—Durham and Teeswater.—adj. '.—n. ', the stockings of the Highland dress, reaching to the knee, as opposed to the long hose formerly worn by Englishmen.—adjs. ', short between the joints: having a short pastern; ' (Shak.), having short legs; ', living or lasting only for a short time.—adv. ', in a short time: in a brief manner: quickly: soon.—ns. ' (see Metre); '; ', a light impression on a hand-press; ', one of the lower ribs, not reaching to the breast-bone, a false or floating rib.—adj. ', having sight extending but a short distance: unable to see far: of weak intellect: heedless.—adv. '.—n. '.—adjs. ', sharp and curt in speech; ', having the fibre short.—n. ', the player at base-ball between the second and third base.—adjs. ', easily put into a rage; ', affected with shortness of wind or breath; ', having little wit, judgment, or intellect.—At short sight, meaning that a bill is payable soon after being presented; Be taken short (coll.), to be suddenly seized with a desire to evacuate fæces; Come, Cut, Fall, short (see Come, Cut, Fall); In short, in a few words; Make short work of, to settle some difficulty or opposition promptly; Take up short, to check or to answer curtly; The long and short, the whole. [A.S. sceort; Old High Ger. scurz; the Dut. and Sw. kort, Ger. kurz, are borrowed from L. curtus.]

Shot, pa.t. and pa.p. of shoot.

Shot, shot, adj. (Spens.) advanced in years.—n. a young pig. [Perh. pa.p. of shoot.]

Shot, shot, n. act of shooting: a marksman: a missile: flight of a missile, or the distance passed by it: small globules of lead: (gun.) solid projectiles generally: a small pellet, of which there are a number in one charge: range of shot, reach: one cast or set of fishing-nets: the act of shooting, one who shoots, a marksman: a plot of land, a square furlong: a stroke in billiards, &c.—v.t. to load with shot:—pr.p. pa.p. —ns. ', a belt with a pouch for carrying shot; ', a cartridge containing small shot; ', an instrument for measuring the size of round-shot; ', a smooth-bore gun for small shot, a fowling-piece; ', a hole made by a shot or bullet: a blasting-hole ready for a blast; ', a length of rope as it comes from the rope-walk; ', a pouch for small shot.—adjs. ', proof against shot; ', loaded with ball and powder: having a shot or weight attached.—ns. ', a place where small shot is made by dropping molten lead through a colander in rapid motion from a considerable height into water; , a projecting window in the staircases of old Scotch wooden houses.—A bad shot, a wrong guess; A shot in the locker, a last reserve of money, food, &c.

Shot, shot, adj. having a changeable colour, chatoyant, as silk, alpaca, &c.

Shot, shot, n. a reckoning, a share of a tavern-bill, &c.—adj.  (Shak.), exempted from paying one's share of the reckoning or of expense. [Scot.]

Shotten, shot′n, p.adj. (Shak.) having ejected the spawn: shooting out into angles: dislocated, as a bone. [From shoot.]

Shough, shok, n. (Shak.). Same as Shock, a dog.

Should, shood, pa.t. of shall. [A.S. sceolde, pa.t. of sceal; cf. Shall.]



Shoulder, shōl′dėr, n. the part of the trunk between the neck and the free portion of the arm or fore-limb, the region about the scapula: the upper joint of the foreleg of an animal cut for market: anything resembling the shoulder, a rising part, a prominence: that which sustains, support, the whole might or effort: the whole angle of a bastion between the face and flank.—v.t. to push with the shoulder or violently: to take upon the shoulder: to fashion with a shoulder or abutment.—v.i. to force one's way forward.—ns. ', a belt that passes across the shoulder; ', the broad, flat, blade-like bone (scapula) of the shoulder; ', a pulley-block left nearly square at the upper end and cut away towards the sheave; ', the humerus, shoulder-blade; ' (Shak.), one who claps another on the shoulder or uses great familiarity, a bailiff.—adj. ', having shoulders of a specified kind.—ns. ', a knot worn as an ornament on the shoulder, now confined to servants in livery; ', a strap passing over the shoulder and joining the front and back part of a garment; ', a sprain of the shoulder.—adjs. ', ' (Shak.), having the shoulder-joint dislocated.—n. ', a strap worn on or over the shoulder: (U.S.) a narrow strap of cloth edged with gold-lace worn on the shoulder to indicate military and naval rank.—Shoulder-of-mutton sail, a kind of triangular sail of peculiar form, used mostly in boats, very handy and safe, particularly as a mizzen; Shoulder to shoulder, with hearty and united action or effort.—Give, Show, or Turn the cold shoulder (see Cold); Put, or Set, one's shoulder to the wheel, to give personal help heartily; With one shoulder, with one consent. [A.S. sculder, sculdor; Ger. schulter, Dut. schouder.]

Shout, showt, n. a loud and sudden outcry expressing strong emotion, or to attract attention.—v.i. to utter a shout: (slang) to order drink for others by way of treat.—v.t. to utter with a shout.—n. '.—adv. '. [Ety. unknown.]

Shout, showt, n. (prov.) a light flat-bottomed boat used in duck-shooting.

Shove, shuv, v.t. to drive along by continuous pressure: to push before one.—v.i. to push forward: to push off.—n. act of shoving: a strong push, a forward movement of packed river-ice.—Shove off, to push off a boat with oar or boat-hook. [A.S. scofian; Dut. schuiven, Ger. schieben.]

Shovel, shuv′l, n. an instrument consisting of a broad blade or scoop with a handle, used for lifting loose substances.—v.t. to lift up and throw with a shovel: to gather in large quantities.—v.i. to use a shovel:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. —ns. ', ', ', a game in which a piece of money or metal is driven with the hand toward a mark on a board: the board used in the game; ', as much as a shovel will hold:—pl. '; ', a hat with a broad brim, turned up at the sides, and projecting in front—affected by Anglican clergy; ', the bonnet-headed shark: the shovel-headed sturgeon; ', one who shovels: a genus of ducks, with mandibles very broad at the end; , a sturgeon with broad, depressed, shovel-shaped snout. [A.S. scofl, from scúfan, to shove; Ger. schaufel.]

Show, shō, v.t. to present to view: to enable to perceive or know: to inform: to teach: to guide: to prove: to explain: to bestow.—v.i. to appear, come into sight: to look:—pa.p. shōwn or shōwed.—n. act of showing: display: a sight or spectacle: parade: appearance: plausibility, pretence: a sign, indication.—ns. , a bill for showing or advertising the price, merits, &c. of goods; ', a showman's box out of which he takes his materials; ', among the Jews, the twelve loaves of bread shown or presented before Jehovah in the sanctuary; ', a placard with an announcement: a card of patterns; ', a case with glass sides in which articles are exhibited in a museum, &c.; ', that end of a piece of cloth which is on the outside of the roll for exhibition to customers; '; ', appearance: a setting forth, representation; ', one who exhibits shows; ', a place for exhibition: a gymnasium: (Shak.) a place where shows are exhibited; ', a room where a show is exhibited: a room in a warehouse, &c., where goods are displayed to the best advantage, a room in a commercial hotel where travellers' samples are exhibited.—Show a leg (vul.), to get out of bed; Show fight, to show a readiness to resist; Show forth, to give out, proclaim; Show off, to display ostentatiously; Show of hands, a raising of hands at a meeting to show approval of any proposal; Show one's hand (see Hand); Show one the door, to dismiss a person from one's house or presence; Show up, to expose to blame or ridicule. [A.S. scéawian; Dut. schouwen, Ger. schauen, to behold.]

Shower, show′ėr, n. a fall of rain or hail, of short duration: a copious and rapid fall: a liberal supply of anything.—v.t. to wet with rain: to bestow liberally.—v.i. to rain in showers.—ns. ', a bath in which water is showered upon one from above: the apparatus for giving a bath by showering water on the person; ', the state of being showery.—adjs. ', without showers; ', abounding with showers. [A.S. scúr; Ice. skúr, Ger. schauer.]

Showy, shō′i, adj. making a show: cutting a dash: ostentatious: gay.—adv. '.—n. '.

Shrab, shrab, n. sherbet, liquor generally, spirits. [Hind. sharāb, wine.]

Shrank, shrangk, pa.t. of shrink.



Shrapnel, shrap′nel, n. a shell filled with musket-balls—from General Shrapnel (died 1842).

Shred, shred, n. a long, narrow piece cut or torn off: a strip, fragment, particle.—v.t. to cut or tear into shreds.—n. ', the act of cutting into shreds: a shred.—adjs. ', consisting of shreds, ragged; '.—n. ', mince-pie. [A.S. screáde; Ger. schrot, Scot. screed.]

Shrew, shrōō, n. a brawling, troublesome woman: a scold: a family of insectivorous mammals closely resembling, in general form and appearance, the true mice and dormice—the head long, muzzle long and pointed.—adj. Shrewd, of an acute judgment: biting, keen: sly, malicious, wicked, cunning, vixenish.—adv. '.—n. '.—adj. ', having the qualities of a shrew: peevish and troublesome: clamorous.—adv. '.—ns. '; ', a genus of insectivorous mammals of the family Talpidæ, very closely allied to the moles.—adj. , poisoned or blasted by a shrew. [A.S. screáwa, a shrew-mouse, its bite having been supposed venomous; cf. Ger. scher-maus, a mole.]

Shriek, shrēk, v.i. to utter a shriek: to scream.—v.t. to utter shriekingly.—n. the shrill outcry caused by terror or anguish—(Spens.) Schriech, Shright, Shrike.—ns. '; ' (same as Screech-owl). [Screech.]

Shrieve, shrēv, v.t. (Spens.) same as Shrive.—n.  (same as Sheriffalty).

Shrift, shrift, n. a confession made to a priest: absolution—esp. of a dying man. [A.S. scrift—scrífan, to shrive.]

Shrike, shrīk, n. a genus of passerine birds which prey on insects and small birds, impaling its prey on thorns—hence called the Butcher-bird. [Ice. skríkja; cf. Shriek.]

Shrill, shril, adj. piercing: sharp: uttering an acute sound.—adjs. ' (Shak.), shrill-throated; ' (Spens.), sounding shrill.—n. '.—adjs. ', ' (Shak.), having a shrill voice; ', somewhat shrill.—adv. . [Skeat explains M. E. shril (Scotch skirl) as from Scand., Norw. skryla, skräla, to cry shrilly; cf. Low Ger. schrell.]

Shrimp, shrimp, n. a genus of edible crustaceans, of the order Decapoda, allied to lobsters, crayfish, and prawns: a little wizened or dwarfish person.—v.i. to catch shrimps.—ns. ', one who catches shrimps; ', the act of catching shrimps; , a small-meshed net, on a hoop and pole, for catching shrimps. [Parallel to shrink; cf. Scotch scrimpit, pinched.]

Shrine, shrīn, n. a case or reliquary for relics: a sacred place: an altar: anything hallowed by its associations.—v.t. to enshrine.—adj. . [A.S. scrín—L. scrinium—scribĕre, to write.]

Shrink, shringk, v.i. to contract: to wither: to occupy less space: to become wrinkled by contraction: to recoil, as from fear, disgust, &c.—v.t. to cause to shrink or contract: to withdraw:—pa.t. shrank, shrunk; pa.p. shrunk.—n. act of shrinking: contraction: withdrawal or recoil.—adj. '.—ns. ', a contraction into a less compass: the extent of the reduction of anything in bulk by shrinking, evaporation, &c.; '.—adv. ', in a shrinking manner: by shrinking. [A.S. scrincan; akin to Ger. schränken, to place obliquely.]

Shrive, shrīv, v.t. to hear a confession from and give absolution to.—v.i. to receive confession: to make such:—pa.t. shrōve or shrīved; pa.p. —ns. ', one who shrives: a confessor; ' (Spens.), shift, confession; Shrīving-time (Shak.), time for confession. [A.S. scrífan, to write, to prescribe penance—L. scribĕre.]

Shrivel, shriv′l, v.i. and v.t. to contract into wrinkles: to blight:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p.  [Perh. conn. with Old Northumbrian screpa, to become dry; cf. Norw. skrypa, to waste.]

Shroff, shrof, n. a banker or money-changer in India.—v.t. to inspect the quality of coins.—n. , such examination. [Hind. sarrāf—Ar. sarrāf.]

Shroud, shrowd, n. the dress of the dead, a winding-sheet: that which clothes or covers: any underground hole, a vault, burrow, &c.: (pl.) a set of ropes from the mast-heads to a ship's sides, to support the masts.—v.t. to enclose in a shroud: to cover: to hide: to shelter.—v.i. to take shelter.—adjs. ', without a shroud; ', giving shelter. [A.S. scrúd; Ice. skrúdh, clothing.]

Shroud, shrowd, v.t. (prov.) to lop the branches from, as a tree.—n. a cutting, a bough or branch, the foliage of a tree. [A variant of shred.]

Shrove-tide, shrōv′-tīd, n. the name given to the days immediately preceding Ash-Wednesday, preparatory to Lent—given up to football, cock-fighting, bull-baiting, &c.—ns. ', a pancake for Shrove-tide; ', the day before Ash-Wednesday. [A.S. scrífan, to shrive.]

Shrow, shrō, n. (Shak.). Same as Shrew.

Shrub, shrub, n. a woody plant with several stems from the same root: a bush or dwarf tree.—v.t. (prov.) to win all a man's money at play.—adj. ', abounding in shrubbery.—ns. ', a plantation of shrubs; ', the state or quality of being shrubby.—adjs. ', full of shrubs: like a shrub: consisting of shrubs; . [A.S. scrob; prov. Eng. shruff, light rubbish wood.]

Shrub, shrub, n. a drink prepared from the juice of lemons, currants, raspberries, with spirits, as rum. [A variant of shrab.]

Shruff, shruf, n. (prov.) refuse wood. [Shrub.]

Shrug, shrug, v.t. to draw up: to contract.—v.i. to draw up the shoulders, expressive of doubt, surprise, indifference, &c.:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. shrugged.—n. an expressive drawing up of the shoulders. [Scand., Dan. skrugge, to stoop.]

Shrunk, pa.t. and pa.p. of shrink.

Shuck, shuk, n. a husk, shell, or pod.—v.t. to remove such, to strip off.—ns. ', one who shucks; ', the act of taking off the shuck: a shucking-bee.—interj. Shucks (slang), expressive of contempt or disappointment.

Shudder, shud′ėr, v.i. to tremble from fear or horror.—n. a trembling from fear or horror.—adj. ', trembling, tremulous.—adv. '. [Cf. Old Dut. schudden; Ger. schaudern, to shudder.]

Shuffle, shuf′l, v.t. to change the positions of: to confuse: to remove or introduce by purposed confusion.—v.i. to change the order of cards in a pack: to shift ground: to evade fair questions: to move by shoving the feet along.—n. act of shuffling: an evasion or artifice.—n. '.—p.adj. ', evasive, as an excuse.—adv. , in a shuffling manner: with an irregular gait: evasively.—To shuffle off, to thrust aside, put off. [A by-form of scuffle, thus conn. with shove and shovel.]

Shug, shug, v.i. (prov.) to crawl, to shrug.

Shun, shun, v.t. to avoid: to keep clear of: to neglect:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. shunned.—adj. ' (Shak.), not able to be shunned: unavoidable.—ns. '; , a byroad. [A.S. scunian; Ice. skunda, to speed.]

Shunt, shunt, v.t. to turn aside, to turn off upon a side-rail: to shove off, free one's self from.—v.i. to turn aside: to use a switch or shunt in railways and electrics.—n. a short side-rail for allowing the main-line to be kept free: (electr.) a conductor joining two points of a circuit, through which a part of the current is diverted.—ns.  ; . [A.S. scyndan, to hasten. Skeat derives from Ice. skunda, to speed.]

Shut, shut, v.t. to close, as a door: to forbid entrance into: to contract, close, or bring together the parts of: to confine: to catch in the act of shutting something.—v.i. to close itself: to be closed.—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. shut.—p.adj. made fast, closed: not resonant, dull: formed by closing the mouth and nose passages completely, said of consonants, as t, d, p: having the sound cut off sharply by a succeeding consonant, as the i in pin, &c.: freed from (with of).—ns. ', a discontinuance of work in a factory, &c.; ', one who, or that which, shuts: a close cover for a window or aperture: (phot.) a device for opening and closing a lens.—v.t. to cover with shutters.—n. , a form of movable dam having large gates opened and closed by a turbine.—Shut down, to stop working; Shut in, to enclose, to confine: to settle down, or fall (said, e.g., of evening); Shut off, to exclude; Shut out, to prevent from entering; Shut up, to close, to confine: (coll.) to cease speaking, to make one do so, to make it impossible to answer. [A.S. scyttan, to bar—sceótan, to shoot.]

Shuttle, shut′l, n. an instrument used for shooting the thread of the woof between the threads of the warp in weaving.—v.t. and v.i. to move to and fro, like a shuttle.—n. ', a rounded cork stuck with feathers, driven with a battledore: the game itself.—adv. ', in the manner of a shuttle.—adj. , flighty. [From base of A.S. sceótan, shoot; Dan. and Sw. skyttel.]

Shwanpan, shwän′pan, n. the Chinese abacus or reckoning board.—Also .

Shy, shī, adj. timid: reserved: cautious: suspicious: elusive, hard to find.—v.i. to start aside, as a horse from fear.—v.t. to avoid:—pa.t. and pa.p. shīed.—n. a sudden swerving aside.—advs. ', '.—ns. ', ' (obs.); , a tricky lawyer.—Fight shy of (see Fight); Look shy at, or on, to regard with distrust. [A.S. sceóh; Ger. scheu, Dan. sky.]

Shy, shī, v.t. to fling, throw, toss.—v.i. to jerk.—n. a throw, a fling: a gibe, sneer: a trial.

Si, sē, n. the syllable used for the seventh tone of the scale, or the leading tone.

Sialogogue, sī-al′o-gog, n. a drug which increases the secretion of saliva—also '.—adjs. ' '.—n. ', excessive flow of saliva. [Gr. sialon, saliva, agōgos, leading—agein, to lead.]

Siamang, sē′a-mang, n. the largest of the gibbons, found in Sumatra and Malacca. [Malay.]

Siamese, sī-am-ēz′, adj. pertaining or belonging to Siam, a country of Asia.—n. a native of Siam.—Siamese twins, two famous Siamese men (1811-74), joined from their birth by a cartilaginous band.

Sib, Sibbe, sib, adj. (Spens.) related by blood, akin.—n. a blood relation: a close ally. [A.S. sibb, relationship; Gr. sippe.]

Siberian, sī-bē′ri-an, adj. pertaining to Siberia, a country of Asia.—n. a native of Siberia.—n. , rubellite from Siberia.

Sibilance, sib′i-lans, n. a hissing sound—also '.—adj. ', making a hissing sound.—n. a sibilant letter, as s and z.—v.t. ', to pronounce with a hissing sound.—n. ', a hissing sound.—adjs. ', ', hissing, sibilant. [L. sibilāre, -ātum, to hiss.]

Sibyl, sib′il, n. in ancient mythology, one of certain women possessing powers of divination and prophecy: a prophetess, an old sorceress.—adjs. ', ', pertaining to, uttered, or written by sibyls: prophetical.—n. , a believer in the so-called sibylline prophecies.—Sibylline Oracles, a series of pretended prophecies in Greek hexameters, written by Alexandrian Jews and Christians, and supposed to date from the 2d century B.C. down to the 3d century A.D., or, according to Ewald, even the 6th. [L.,—Gr. sibylla, not 'she who reveals the will of Zeus,' Dios boulē. The root is sib-, as in L. per-sibus, acute, Gr. sophos, wise.]

Sic, sik, adv. so, thus—printed within brackets in quoted matter to show that the original is being correctly reproduced, even though incorrect or wrong.—Sic passim, so throughout.

Sic, sik, Siccan, sik′an, adj. Scotch forms of such.—adj. , for such-like, of the same kind.

Sicambrian, si-kam′bri-an, n. one of a powerful ancient German tribe.

Sicanian, si-kā′ni-an, adj. pertaining to the Sicanians, an aboriginal pre-Aryan race in Sicily.

Sicca, sik′a, adj. newly coined. [Hind.]

Siccate, sik′āt, v.t. to dry.—n. '.—adj. ', drying: causing to dry.—n. Siccity dryness. [L. siccāre, -ātum—siccus, dry.]

Sice, sīs, n. the number six at dice.

Sice, Syce, sīs, n. a groom, a mounted attendant.—Also Saice. [Hind, sāis—Ar. sāis.]

Siceliot, si-sel′i-ot, adj. pertaining to the Siceliots, the colonies of immigrant Greeks in Sicily, who gradually became assimilated with the native Siculi—also .—n. a Greek settler in Sicily: a Siculian.

Sich, sich, adj. (Spens.) such.

Sicilian, si-sil′yan, adj. of or pertaining to Sicily, an island south of Italy.—n. a native of Sicily.—ns. ', a Sicilian popular dance in slow movement, also the music for such; ', a ribbed silk fabric.—Sicilian Vespers, the massacre of the French in Sicily on Easter Monday 1282—at the first stroke of the vesper-bell.

Sick, sik, adj. affected with disease: ill: inclined to vomit: disgusted: infirm: disordered: pining: depressed: indicating sickness: poor in quality: out of repair.—v.i. (Shak.) to grow sick.—ns. ', ', a compartment on a troop-ship, &c., for sick and wounded; ', a bed on which a person lies sick.—adj. ', mentally deranged.—v.t. ', to make sick: to disgust: to make weary of anything.—v.i. to become sick: to be disgusted: to become disgusting or tedious: to become weakened.—n. ', any cause of disgust.—adj. ', causing sickness or disgust, loathsome.—n. a scum which forms on the surface of mercury from grease, sulphides, arsenides, &c.—adv. '.—adj. ' (Shak.), struck down with sickness.—ns. ', a yellow flag indicating disease on board a ship; ', headache accompanied with nausea.—adj. ', somewhat sick.—adv. '.—ns. '; ', leave of absence from duty owing to sickness.—adj. ' (Shak.), tainted with the hue of sickness or disease.—adv. ', in a sickly manner.—ns. ', the state of being sickly, or of appearing so; ', a list containing the names of the sick.—adjs. ', entered on the sick-list; ', inclined to sickness: unhealthy: somewhat sick: weak: languid: producing disease: mawkish: feeble, mentally weak.—adv. in a sick manner: feebly.—v.t. (obs.) to make sickly or sickly-looking.—ns. ', state of being sick, disease: disorder of the stomach: an enfeebled state of anything; ', a return regularly made of the state of the sick; ', a room to which a person is confined by sickness.—adj.  (Shak.), love-sick. [A.S. seóc; Ger. siech, Dut. ziek.]

Sick, sik, v.t. to set upon, chase: to incite to attack. [A variant of seek.]

Sicker, sik′ėr, adj. (Scot.) sure, certain, firm.—adv. (Spens.) surely, certainly—also '.—n. ' (Spens.), the state of being sicker or certain. [A.S. siker—L. securus; Ger. sicher.]

Sickle, sik′l, n. a hooked instrument for cutting grain.—n. ', a name applied to various birds with sickle-shaped bill.—adj. ', bearing a sickle.—ns. ', one of the sickle-shaped middle feathers of the domestic cock; ', one who uses a sickle, a reaper.—adj. '.—n. ', the self-heal. [A.S. sicol, sicel—L. secula, a sickle—secāre, to cut.]

Sicsac, sik′sak, n. the Egyptian courser, crocodile-bird, or black-headed plover.—Also Ziczac.

Siculian, si-kū′li-an, adj. pertaining to the Siculi, an ancient and most probably Aryan race of southern Italy who colonised Sicily.—adjs. '; '.

Sicyos, sis′i-os, n. a genus of plants of the order Cucurbitaceæ, the gourd family.

Sida, sī′da, n. a large genus of downy herbs of the mallow family. [Gr.]

Siddha, sid′da, n. one who has attained to ', accomplishment or perfection.—n. ', an epithet of Buddha. [Sans.]

Siddow, sid′ō, adj. (prov.) soft, pulpy.

Side, sīd, n. the edge or border of anything: the surface of a solid: a part of a thing as seen by the eye: region, part: the part of an animal between the hip and shoulder: any party, interest, or opinion opposed to another: faction: line of descent: at billiards, a certain bias or kind of spinning motion given to a ball by striking it sidewise: (slang) a pretentious and supercilious manner, swagger.—adj. being on or toward the side: lateral: indirect.—v.i. to embrace the opinion or cause of one party against another.—v.t. (Spens.) to be on the same side with, to support: to cut into sides: to push aside, to set aside.—n.pl. ', arms or weapons worn on the side, as a sword or bayonet.—ns. ', either of the working-beams of a marine engine, placed below the crank-shaft, on each side of the cylinder, instead of a central beam above the crank-shaft; ', a piece of furniture on one side of a dining-room for holding dishes, &c.: (pl.) side-whiskers, stiff standing collars (slang).—n.pl. ', enlargements situated above the quarters of a horse's feet, resulting from the conversion into bone of the elastic lateral cartilages.—ns. ', a box or seat at the side of a theatre; ', a chapel in an aisle or at the side of a church; ', a small comb used to keep a lock of hair in place at the side of a woman's head; ', a distant relative; ', a cut from the side, an indirect attack; ', an excavation of earth along the side of a railway or canal to obtain material for an embankment.—adj. ', having a side: flattened on one or more sides.—ns. ', any supplementary dish at a dinner, &c., specially flavoured; ', a small double-headed drum in military bands; ', a glance to one side; ', a subordinate issue aside from the main business; ', light coming from the side, any incidental illustration: a window, as opposed to a sky-light, a window above or at the side of a door: one of the red or green lights carried on the side of a vessel under way at night; ', a line attached to the side of anything: any additional or extra line of goods sold by a commercial traveller: (pl.) the ropes binding the fore and hind feet on the same side of a horse.—adj. ', inclining to a side, sloping.—adv. sidewise, aslant.—n. ', a separate lock of hair worn at the side of the head.—adj. ', oblique: not straight.—adv. in the direction of the side: obliquely.—n. the slope of a hill.—ns. ', a marginal note on a page, as opposed to a foot-note; ' (U.S.), one who shares a duty or employment with another alongside or alternately; ', a partisan: one living in any particular quarter of a city; ', a coupling-rod of a locomotive: either of the rods of a side-beam engine connecting the cross-head on the piston-rod with the working-beam: either of the rods of a side-beam engine connecting the working-beams with the cross-head of the air-pump; ', a saddle for women sitting, not astride, but with both feet on one side; ', a name sometimes given to a plant of the genus Sarracenia; ', a screw on the front edge of a carpenter's bench to hold the work fast: one of the screws fastening the lockplate of a gun to the stock; ' (Scots law), an old method of authenticating deeds written on several sheets of paper pasted together, by signing the name across each junction; ', a seat in a vehicle with the back against its side; ', an exhibition subordinate to a larger one; ' (Shak.), a loose hanging sleeve; ', an oblique offshoot: a bastard; ', a deputy churchwarden: (Milt.) a partisan.—adj. ', affecting the sides convulsively, as in boisterous laughter.—ns. ', a stroke given sideways; ', a table placed usually against the wall; ', a view on or from one side; ', a foot-walk beside a street or road.—advs. ', ', toward or on one side.—adj. ', having side or paddle wheels.—ns. ', a wind blowing laterally: any indirect influence or means; ', a short line of rails on which wagons are shunted from the main-line.—v.i. ', to go or move side-foremost.—v.t. to cause to move sideways.—Side by side, placed with sides near each other.—Choose sides, to pick out opposing parties to contend with each other; Right, or Wrong, side, the side of anything (cloth, leather, &c.) intended to be turned outward or inward respectively; Take a side, to join one party in opposition to another; Take sides, to range one's self with one or other of contending parties; To one side, having a lateral inclination: out of sight. [A.S. síde; Ger. seite, Dut. zijde.]

Side, sīd, adj. (Scot.) wide, large: far. [A.S. síd, spacious.]

Sidereal, sī-dē′rē-al, adj. relating to a star or stars: starry: (astron.) measured by the apparent motion of the stars.—adj. ' (Milt.), relating to the stars: baleful, from astrology.—n. ', a sudden deprivation of sense, as a stroke of apoplexy: a blast of plants.—Sidereal day, the time between two successive upper culminations of a fixed star or of the vernal equinox, shorter than a solar day; Sidereal year (see Year). [L. sidus, sideris, a star.]

Siderite, sid′ėr-īt, n. the lodestone: native iron protocarbonate—also Chalybite, Spathic or Sparry iron, Junckerite. [L. sideritis, the lodestone—Gr. sidēritēs, of iron—sidēros, iron.]

Siderography, sid-ėr-og′ra-fi, n. steel-engraving.—adjs. ', '.—n. . [Gr. sidēros, iron, graphein, engrave.]

Siderolite, sid′e-rō-līt, n. a meteorite composed chiefly of iron. [Gr. sidēros, iron, lithos, stone.]

Sideromancy, sid′ėr-ō-mans-i, n. divination by burning straws, &c., on a red-hot plate of iron. [Gr. sidēros, iron, manteia, divination.]

Sideroscope, sid′ėr-o-skōp, n. an instrument for detecting minute degrees of magnetism by means of a combination of magnetic needles. [Gr. sidēros, iron, skopein, to view.]

Siderostat, sid′e-rō-stat, n. a heliostat adapted to sidereal time.—adj. . [L. sidus, sideris a star, Gr. statos, standing.]

Siege, sēj, n. a sitting down with an army round or before a fortified place in order to take it by force: a continued endeavour to gain possession: (Shak.) a seat, throne, station: (Shak.) excrement: the floor of a glass-furnace: a workman's bench.—v.t. to lay siege to.—ns. ', a coin, generally of unusual shape and rude workmanship, issued in a besieged place during stress of siege; ', the materials carried by an army for the purpose of laying siege to a place.—State of siege, a condition of things in which civil law is suspended or made subordinate to military law; Minor state of siege, a modification of the more severe rule in cases of merely domestic trouble. [O. Fr. sege (Fr. siège), seat—Low L. assedium=L. obsidium, a siege—sedēre, to sit.]

Sield, sēld (Spens.). Cieled.

Sienese, si-e-nēz′, adj. pertaining to Siena, or Sienna, in central Italy, or its school of painting in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Sienite, Sienitic. Same as Syenite, &c.

Sienna, si-en′a, n. a fine orange-red pigment used in oil and water-colour painting. [It. terra di Siena, Sienna earth.]

Sierra, sē-er′ra, n. a ridge of mountains: a scombroid fish. [Sp., usually derived from L. serra, a saw. Some suggest Ar. sehrah, a desert place, whence also Sahara.]

Siesta, si-es′ta, n. a short sleep taken about midday or after dinner. [Sp.,—L. sexta (hora), the sixth (hour) after sunrise, the hour of noon.]

Sieur, sièr, n. a French title of respect, obsolete except in law-courts. [Fr.,—L. senior.]

Sieve, siv, n. a vessel with a bottom of woven hair or wire to separate the fine part of anything from the coarse: a person who cannot keep a secret.—v.t. to put through a sieve: to sift. [A.S. sife; Ger. seib.]

Siffle, sif′l, n. a sibilant râle.—v.i. to whistle, hiss.—ns. ', a theatrical whistle; ', a whistler. [Fr. siffler—L. sibilāre.]

Sift, sift, v.t. to separate with, or as with, a sieve: to examine closely.—n. , one who, or that which, sifts. [A.S. siftan—sife, a sieve.]

Sigh, sī, v.i. to inhale and respire with a long, deep, and audible breathing, as in love or grief: to sound like sighing.—v.t. to express by sighs.—n. a long, deep, audible respiration.—n. '.—adj. '.—adv. . [A.S. sícan; Sw. sucka.]

Sight, sīt, n. act of seeing: view: faculty of seeing: that which is seen: a spectacle: an object of especial interest: space within vision: examination: a small opening for looking through at objects: a metal pin on the top of a barrel of a gun to guide the eye in taking aim: (slang) a great many or a great deal.—v.t. to catch sight of: to present to sight or put under notice.—adjs. ', having sight of some special character, as short-sighted: fitted with a sight, as a firearm; ', wanting sight: blind: (Shak.) invisible: (Shak.) unsightly, ugly.—adv. '.—ns. '; '.—adjs. ', pleasing to the sight or eye: comely; ' (Shak.), running faster than the eye can follow.—ns. ', one who reads at sight, as musical notes, passages in a foreign tongue, &c.; '; ', the act of seeing sights: eagerness to see novelties or curiosities; ', one who is eager to see novelties or curiosities; ', a local guide; , a gift of prophetic vision, long supposed in the Scottish Highlands and elsewhere to belong to particular persons.—At sight, without previous study or practice; At sight, After sight, terms applied to bills or notes payable on, or after, presentation; Lose sight of, to cease to see: to overlook; Out of sight, too far away to be seen: not in sight: (coll.) beyond comparison; Put out of sight, to remove from vision: (slang) to consume, as food. [A.S. siht, ge-siht—ge-segen, pa.p. of seón, to see; Ger. sicht.]

Sight, sīt (Spens.)=Sighed.

Sigil, sij′il, n. a seal: a signature: an occult or magical mark.—adjs. ', pertaining to a seal; ', decorated, as pottery, with impressed patterns: (bot.) marked with seal-like scars.—ns. '; ', knowledge of seals.—n.pl. , abbreviations of names, &c., on seals. [L. sigillum, dim. of signum, sign.]

Sigillaria, sij-il-ā′ri-a, n. a family of fossil lycopods, abundant in Carboniferous strata, with pillar-like trunks, the columnar stems ribbed and fluted longitudinally, the fluting marked by rows or whorls of scars left by fallen leaves.—adjs. ', ', . [L. sigillum, a seal.]

Sigma, sig′ma, n. the Greek letter corresponding to our s—written Σ (capital), σ (small initial) or ς (small final).—adjs. ', '.—ns. ', the adding of s at the end of a word or syllable; ', repetition of s or the s-sound: defective pronunciation of this sound.—adjs. ', ', formed like s.

Sign, sīn, n. mark, token: proof: that by which a thing is known or represented: a word, gesture, symbol, or mark, intended to signify something else: a remarkable event: an omen: a miraculous manifestation: a memorial: something set up as a notice in a public place: (math.) a mark showing the relation of quantities or an operation to be performed: (med.) a symptom: (astron.) one of the twelve parts of the zodiac, each comprising 30 degrees of the ecliptic.—v.t. to represent or make known by a sign: to attach a signature to.—v.i. to give one's signature: to make a particular sign.—adj. ', capable of being, or requiring to be, signed.—ns. ', a board with a sign telling a man's occupation or articles for sale; '; ', the privy-seal: (B.) a seal.—adj. ', stamped or marked with a signet.—n. ', a ring with a signet or private seal.—adj. ', making no sign.—ns. ', the royal signature, usually only the initial of the sovereign's name, with R. for Rex or Regina; ', one who paints signs for shops, &c.; ', a post on which a sign is hung: a direction-post. [Fr. signe—L. signum.]

Signal, sig′nal, n. a sign for giving notice, generally at a distance: token: the notice given: any initial impulse.—v.t. and v.i. to make signals to: to convey by signals:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. —adj. having a sign: remarkable: notable: eminent.—ns. ', a book containing a system of signals; ', ', &c., a small house in which railway-signals are worked: the alarm-box of a police or fire-alarm system; ', a code or system of arbitrary signals, esp. at sea, by flags or lights; ', a fire used for a signal; ', a flag used in signalling, its colour, shape, markings, and combinations indicating various significations; ', a gun fired as a signal.—v.t. ', to make signal or eminent: to signal.—ns. ', a lamp by which signals are made by glasses or slides of different colours, &c.; ', the means of transmitting intelligence to a greater or less distance by the agency of sight or hearing.—adv. '.—ns. ', one who makes signals and who interprets those made; ', the act of communicating by signals: description by means of marks; ', a pole on which movable flags, arms, lights, are displayed as signals; , the department in the army occupied with signalling. [Fr.,—L. signalis, signum.]

Signature, sig′na-tūr, n. a sign or mark: the name of a person written by himself: (mus.) the flats and sharps after the clef to show the key: a sheet after being folded, the figure or letter at the foot of the page indicating such.—adj. ', designate: bearing spots resembling letters.—ns. ', anything used as a sign, an emblem; ', ', , one bound by signature to some agreement.—adj. having signed, bound by signature.—Doctrine of signatures, an inveterate belief in early medicine that plants and minerals bore certain symbolical marks which indicated the diseases for which nature had intended them as special remedies. [Fr.,—Low L. signatura—L. signāre, -ātum, to sign.]

Signieur, n. (Shak.). Same as Seignior.

Signify, sig′ni-fī, v.t. to make known by a sign or by words: to mean: to indicate or declare: to have consequence.—v.i. to be of consequence:—pa.t. and pa.p. —adj. ', that may be signified or represented by symbols.—n. ', that which is signified: meaning: importance: moment—also '.—adj. ', signifying: expressive of something: standing as a sign.—adv. '.—ns. ', in logic, one of several things signified by a common term; ', act of signifying: that which is signified: meaning.—adj. ', signifying: denoting by a sign: having meaning: expressive.—adv. ', in a significative manner: so as to betoken by an external sign.—ns. ', the quality of being significative; ', one who signifies: (astrol.) a planet ruling a house.—adj. '. [L. significāre, -ātum, signum, a sign, facĕre, to make.]

Signor, sē′nyor, n. an Italian word of address equivalent to Mr—also Signior.—ns. Signora feminine of signor; Signorina  the Italian equivalent of Miss; ', ' (same as Seigniory). [It. signore.]

Sike, sīk, n. (Scot.) a small stream of water.—Also Syke. [Ice. sík, síki, a ditch.]

Sikh, sēk, n. one of a religious sect of northern India, which became a great military confederacy—founded by Baba Nának (born 1469).—n. . [Hind. Sikh, lit. follower or disciple.]

Sil, sil, n. a yellowish pigment of ancient painters.

Silage, sī′laj, n. the term applied to fodder which has been preserved by ensilage in a silo.

Sile, sīl, v.t. (prov.) to strain.—n. a sieve, a strainer or colander. [Low Ger. silen; Ger. sielen, to filter.]

Silence, sī′lens, n. state of being silent: absence of sound or speech: muteness: cessation of agitation: calmness: oblivion.—v.t. to cause to be silent: to put to rest: to stop.—interj. be silent!—adj. ', free from noise: not speaking: habitually taciturn: still: not pronounced: of distilled spirit, without flavour or odour.—n. ', one who keeps order in an assembly.—adv. '.—n. '=Silence. [L. silēre, to be silent.]

Silene, sī-lē′nē, n. a genus of plants of the natural order Caryophyllaceæ—the Bladder Campion, whose young shoots eat like asparagus—the Catchfly, a general name for many British species.

Silenus, sī-lē′nus, n. the foster-father of Bacchus, a little pot-bellied old man, bald-headed and snub-nosed, generally astride of an ass, drunk, and attended by a troop of satyrs.

Silesia, si-lē′shi-a, n. a thin brown holland for window-blinds, &c.: a thin twilled cotton.—adj. , pertaining to Silesia.

Silex, sī′leks, n. silica, as found in nature, occurring as flint, quartz, rock-crystal, &c. [L. silex, silicis, flint.]



Silhouette, sil-ōō-et′, n. a shadow-outline of the human figure or profile filled in of a dark colour.—v.t. to represent in silhouette: to bring out a shaded profile or outline view of. [Étienne de Silhouette (1709-67), French minister of finance for four months in 1759, after whom everything cheap was named, from his excessive economy. According to Littré, the making of such shadow-portraits was a favourite pastime of his; hence the name.]

Silica, sil′i-ka, n. silicon dioxide, or silicic anhydride, a white or colourless substance, the most abundant solid constituent of our globe, existing both in the crystalline and in the amorphous form, the best examples of the former being rock-crystal, quartz, chalcedony, flint, sandstone, and quartzose sand; of the latter, opal.—n. ', a salt of silicic acid.—adjs. ', combined or impregnated with silica; ', pertaining to, or obtained from, silica; ', producing or containing silica.—n. ', conversion into silica.—v.t. ', to convert into silica: to render silicious.—v.i. to become silicious or flinty:—pr.p. pa.p. —adjs. ', ', pertaining to, containing, or resembling silica.—n. ', or ', the base of silica, a non-metallic elementary substance, obtainable in three different forms, the amorphous, the graphitoid, and the crystalline. [L. silex, silicis, flint.]



Silicle, sil′i-kl, n. (bot.) a seed-vessel shorter and containing fewer seeds than a silique—also ', '.—adj. ' (bot.), having, pertaining to, or resembling silicles: husky.—ns. (bot.) Silique ', the two-valved elongated seed-vessel of the Cruciferæ.—adjs. ', ',  (bot.), pertaining to, resembling, or bearing siliques. [L. silicula, dim. of siliqua, a pod.]

Silk, silk, n. the delicate, soft thread produced by the larvæ of certain bombycid moths which feed on the leaves of the mulberry, &c.: thread or cloth woven from it: anything resembling silk, the styles of maize, the silky lustre in the ruby, &c.—adj. pertaining to, or consisting of, silk.—n. ', the silky seed-covering of various species of Bombax.—adjs. ', made of silk: dressed in silk: resembling silk: soft: delicate; ', having the ornamental pattern in silk.—ns. ', or The silk, the robe of a queen's or king's counsel, instead of the stuff-gown of the ordinary barrister—hence 'to take silk'=to be appointed Q.C.; ', Adam's needle, or bear-grass; '; ' (Shak.), a dealer in silks; ', a mercer or dealer in silks; ', a mill for the manufacture of silks; ', tissue-paper; ', a machine in which raw silk is unwound from the cocoons, and wound into a thread; ', ', one who manufactures thrown-silk or organzine, silk thread formed by twisting together two or more threads or singles; ', a weaver of silk stuffs; ', the bombycid moth whose larva produces silk; ', a material used by anglers for dressing the hook-end of the fishing-line, consisting of the drawn-out glands of the silkworm when these are fully distended.—adj. , like silk in texture: soft: smooth: glossy. [A.S. seolc—L. sericum—Gr. sērikon, neut. of adj. Sērikos, pertaining to the Sēres—Sēr, a native of China.]

Sill, sil, n. the timber or stone at the foot of a door or window: the lowest piece in a window-frame: (fort.) the inner edge of the bottom of an embrasure: the floor of a mine-passage, also a miner's term for bed or stratum. [A.S. syl; Ice. sylla, Ger. schwelle.]

Silladar, sil′a-där, n. a member of a troop of irregular cavalry. [Hind.]

Sillago, sil′a-gō, n. a genus of acanthopterygian fishes.

Sillery, sil′e-ri, n. a celebrated still white wine produced near Rheims—one of the most esteemed champagnes. [Sillery in Marne.]

Sillibub, sil′i-bub, n. a dish made of wine or cider mixed with milk into a curd, flavoured, whipped into a froth, or made solid by gelatine and water, and boiling.—Also .

Sillograph, sil′ō-graf, n. a satirist. [From the Silloi of Timon of Phlius, c. 280 B.C.]

Sillometer, si-lom′e-tėr, n. an instrument for measuring the speed of a ship without a log-line. [Fr. siller, to make way, Gr. metron, a measure.]

Sillon, sil′on, n. (fort.) a. work raised in the middle of a very wide ditch, an envelope. [Fr.]

Sillsallat, sil′sal-at, n. a salad of pickled herring, with morsels of meat, eggs, onion, and beet. [Sw.]

Silly, sil′i, adj. simple: harmless: foolish: witless: imprudent: absurd: stupid.—n. a silly person.—adv. '.—ns. '; , a caul. [Orig. 'blessed,' and so 'innocent,' 'simple,' A.S. sǽlig, gesælig, timely—sǽl, time; Ger. selig, blest, happy, Goth. sels, good.]

Silo, sī′lō, n. a pit for packing and storing green crops for fodder in the state known as ensilage.—v.t. to preserve in a silo. [Sp.,—L. sirus—Gr. siros, a pit.]

Silpha, sil′fa, n. a genus of clavicorn beetles, the carrion-beetles. [Gr. silphē, a beetle.]

Silphium, sil′fi-um, n. a genus of American composites with resinous juice—prairie-dock, cup-plant, rosin-weed: an umbelliferous plant whose juice the ancient Greeks used—the Latin laserpitium.

Silphology, sil-fol′ō-ji, n. the science of larval forms. [Gr. silphē, a beetle, logia—legein, to say.]

Silt, silt, n. that which is left by straining: sediment: the sand, &c., left by water.—v.t. to fill with sediment (with up).—v.i. to percolate through pores: to become filled up.—adj. , full of, or resembling, silt. [Prov. Eng. sile, allied to Low Ger. sielen, Sw. sila, to let water off, to strain.]

Silurian, si-lū′ri-an, adj. belonging to Siluria, the country of the Silures, the ancient inhabitants of the south-eastern part of South Wales: applied by Murchison in 1835 to a series of rocks well developed in the country of the Silures, a subdivision of the Palæozoic, containing hardly any vertebrates and land plants.—adjs. ', ', '.—ns. ', a Silurian, a name applied to the poet Henry Vaughan (1621-95); ', ', the typical genus of Siluridæ, a family of physostomous fishes—the cat-fishes, &c.

Silvan, sil′van, adj. pertaining to woods, woody: inhabiting woods.—ns. ', ', the forest-trees collectively of any region. [Fr.,—L. silva.]

Silver, sil′vėr, n. a soft white metal, capable of a high polish: money made of silver: anything having the appearance of silver.—adj. made of silver: resembling silver: white: bright: precious: gentle: having a soft and clear tone: of high rank, but still second to the highest.—v.t. to cover with silver: to make like silver: to make smooth and bright: to make silvery.—v.i. to become silvery.—ns. ' (phot.), a solution of silver-nitrate for sensitising collodion-plates for printing; ', one who beats out silver into thin foil.—adjs. ', black silvered over with white; ' (Shak.), as bright as silver; ', having buskins adorned with silver.—ns. ', a coniferous tree of the genus Abies, whose leaves show two silvery lines on the under side; ', a name given to the atherine, to artificially bred gold-fish, the sand-smelt, the tarpon: any species of Lepisma, a thysanurous insect—also Bristletail, Walking-fish, Silver-moth, Shiner, &c.; ', a species of fox found in northern regions, having a rich and valuable fur; ', native silver sulphide; ', the medullary rays in timber.—adjs. ', having a gray or bluish-gray colour; ', having white or lustrous gray hair; ', having a silver head: with white hair.—ns. ', the state of being silvery; ', the operation of covering with silver: the silver so used.—v.t. ', to coat or cover with silver:—pr.p. pa.p. —ns. ', one who opposes the demonetisation of silver; ', silver beaten into thin leaves; ' (B.), a small silver coin.—adv. ' (Shak.), with the appearance of silver.—adjs. ', made of silver; ', plated with silver.—n. ', the production of photographic prints by the use of a sensitising salt of silver.—adj. ', carrying silver arrows, as Diana.—ns. ', a smith who works in silver; ', an officer of the royal palace—from his silvered wand.—adjs. ', plausible, eloquent; ' (Shak.), having a clear, sweet voice like the sound of a silver musical instrument; ' (Shak.), white like silver; ', covered with silver: resembling silver: white: clear, soft, mellow. [A.S. silfer, seolfor; Ice. silfr, Ger. silber.]

Simar, Simarre, si-mär′, n. a woman's robe: a scarf. [Fr. simarre—O. Fr. chamarre—Sp. chamarra, a sheep-skin coat, prob. Basque.]

Simarubaceæ, sim-a-rōō-bā′sē-ē, n.pl. a natural order of tropical trees and shrubs—bitter, used in dysentery, &c.—including quassia, bitterwood, and ailanto.—adj. .

Simbil, sim′bil, n. a shortish-legged African stork.

Simeonite, sim′ē-on-īt, n. a follower of the famous Cambridge evangelical preacher Charles Simeon (1759-1836), whose influence is perpetuated by the Simeon Trust, established for purchasing advowsons: a low-churchman—often Sim.

Simia, sim′i-a, n. an anthropoid ape: a monkey generally: the typical genus of Simiidæ, containing the orang-utans—the Simiidæ includes the anthropoid apes; Simiinæ is the higher of the two sub-families of Simiidæ, comprising the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orang.—adjs. ', ', , like an ape: anthropoid. [L.]

Similar, sim′i-lar, adj. like: resembling: uniform: (geom.) exactly corresponding in shape, without regard to size.—n. '.—adv. '.—n. ', the state of being similar or like: resemblance: comparison: simile: (B.) a parable.—adj. '. [Fr.,—L. similis, like.]

Simile, sim′i-le, n. something similar: similitude: (rhet.) a comparison to illustrate anything.—n.pl. ', things alike.—v.t. ', to liken, compare.—v.i. to use similitudes.—adv. , in like manner. [L., neut. of similis, like.]

Similor, sim′i-lōr, n. a yellow alloy used for cheap jewellery. [Fr.,—L. similis, like, aurum, gold.]

Simitar. Same as Scimitar (q.v.).

Simkin, sim′kin, n. the usual Anglo-Indian word for champagne.—Also .

Simmer, sim′ėr, v.i. to boil with a gentle, hissing sound: to be on the point of boiling out, as into anger.—n. a gentle heating. [Imit.; cf. Sw. dial. summa, to hum, Ger. summen.]

Simnel, sim′nel, n. a sweet cake of fine flour for Christmas, Easter, or Mothering Sunday.—Also . [O. Fr. simenel—L. simila, fine flour.]