Chapter 55 of 134 · 3997 words · ~20 min read

Part 55

||Si*pun`cu*la"ce*a (?), n. pl. [NL., from Sipunculus, the typical ||genus. See Siphuncle.] (Zoöl.) A suborder of Gephyrea, including ||those which have the body unarmed and the intestine opening ||anteriorly.

Si*pun"cu*loid (?), a. [NL. Sipunculus, the typical genus + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the Sipunculoidea. -- n. One of the Sipunculoidea.

||Si*pun`cu*loi"de*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) (a) Same as Gephyrea. ||(b) In a restricted sense, same as Sipunculacea.

||Si` quis" (?). [L., if any one (the first words of the notice in ||Latin).] (Ch. of Eng.) A notification by a candidate for orders of ||his intention to inquire whether any impediment may be alleged ||against him.

Sir (?), n. [OE. sire, F. sire, contr. from the nominative L. senior an elder, elderly person, compar. of senex,senis, an aged person; akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?; old, Skr. sana, Goth. sineigs old, sinista eldest, Ir. & Gael. sean old, W. hen. Cf. Seignior, Senate, Seneschal, Senior, Senor, Signor, Sire, Sirrah.] 1. A man of social authority and dignity; a lord; a master; a gentleman; -- in this sense usually spelled sire. [Obs.]

He was crowned lord and sire.

Gower.

In the election of a sir so rare.

Shak.

2. A title prefixed to the Christian name of a knight or a baronet.

Sir Horace Vere, his brother, was the principal in the active part.

Bacon.

3. An English rendering of the LAtin Dominus, the academical title of a bachelor of arts; -- formerly colloquially, and sometimes contemptuously, applied to the clergy. Nares.

Instead of a faithful and painful teacher, they hire a Sir John, which hath better skill in playing at tables, or in keeping of a garden, than in God's word.

Latimer.

4. A respectful title, used in addressing a man, without being prefixed to his name; -- used especially in speaking to elders or superiors; sometimes, also, used in the way of emphatic formality. "What's that to you, sir?" Sheridan.

Anciently, this title, was often used when a person was addressed as a man holding a certain office, or following a certain business. "Sir man of law." "Sir parish priest." Chaucer.

Sir reverance. See under Reverence, n.

Si*ras"kier (?), n. See Seraskier.

Si*ras"kier*ate (?), n. See Seraskierate.

Sir*bo"ni*an (?), a. See Serbonian.

Sir*car" (?), n. [Hind. & Per. sarkr a superintendant, overseer, chief; Per. sar the head + kr action, work.] 1. A Hindoo clerk or accountant. [India]

2. A district or province; a circar. [India]

3. The government; the supreme authority of the state. [India]

Sir*dar" (?), n. [Hind. & Per. sardr a chief, general; sar the head, top + dr holding, possessing.] A native chief in Hindostan; a headman. Malcom.

Sire (?), n. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.] 1. A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [Obs.]

Pain and distress, sickness and ire, And melancholy that angry sire, Be of her palace senators.

Rom. of R.

2. A tittle of respect formerly used in speaking to elders and superiors, but now only in addressing a sovereign.

3. A father; the head of a family; the husband.

Jankin thet was our sire [i.e., husband].

Chaucer.

And raise his issue, like a loving sire.

Shak.

4. A creator; a maker; an author; an originator.

[He] was the sire of an immortal strain.

Shelley.

5. The male parent of a beast; -- applied especially to horses; as, the horse had a good sire.

Sire is often used in composition; as in grandsire, grandfather; great-grandsire, great- grandfather.

Sire, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sired (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Siring.] To beget; to procreate; -- used of beasts, and especially of stallions.

Si*re"don (?), n. [NL., from Gr. &?;&?;&?; a siren.] (Zoöl.) The larval form of any salamander while it still has external gills; especially, one of those which, like the axolotl (Amblystoma Mexicanum), sometimes lay eggs while in this larval state, but which under more favorable conditions lose their gills and become normal salamanders. See also Axolotl.

Si"ren (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;: cf. F. sirène.] 1. (Class. Myth.) One of three sea nymphs, -- or, according to some writers, of two, -- said to frequent an island near the coast of Italy, and to sing with such sweetness that they lured mariners to destruction.

Next where the sirens dwell you plow the seas; Their song is death, and makes destruction please.

Pope.

2. An enticing, dangerous woman. Shak.

3. Something which is insidious or deceptive.

Consumption is a siren.

W. Irving.

4. A mermaid. [Obs.] Shak.

5. (Zoöl.) Any long, slender amphibian of the genus Siren or family Sirenidæ, destitute of hind legs and pelvis, and having permanent external gills as well as lungs. They inhabit the swamps, lagoons, and ditches of the Southern United States. The more common species (Siren lacertina) is dull lead-gray in color, and becames two feet long.

6. [F. sirène, properly, a siren in sense 1.] (Acoustics) An instrument for producing musical tones and for ascertaining the number of sound waves or vibrations per second which produce a note of a given pitch. The sounds are produced by a perforated rotating disk or disks. A form with two disks operated by steam or highly compressed air is used sounding an alarm to vessels in fog. [Written also sirene, and syren.]

Si"ren, a. Of or pertaining to a siren; bewitching, like a siren; fascinating; alluring; as, a siren song.

Si*rene" (?), n. See Siren, 6.

Si*re"ni*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) An order of large aquatic herbivorous mammals, including the manatee, dugong, rytina, and several fossil genera.

The hind limbs are either rudimentary or wanting, and the front ones are changed to paddles. They have horny plates on the front part of the jaws, and usually flat-crowned molar teeth. The stomach is complex and the intestine long, as in other herbivorous mammals. See Cetacea (b).

Si*re"ni*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any species of Sirenia.

Si*ren"ic*al (?), a. Like, or appropriate to, a siren; fascinating; deceptive.

Here's couple of sirenical rascals shall enchant ye.

Marton.

Si"ren*ize (?), v. i. To use the enticements of a siren; to act as a siren; to fascinate.

||Si*ri"a*sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;, fr. &?;&?;&?; the Dog ||Star, properly, scorching.] (Med.) (a) A sunstroke. (b) The act of ||exposing to a sun bath. [Obs.] Cf. Insolation.

Sir"i*us (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;, properly, scorching.] (Astron.) The Dog Star. See Dog Star.

Sir"keer (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of Asiatic cuckoos of the genus Taccocua, as the Bengal sirkeer (T. sirkee).

Sir"loin` (?), n. [A corruption of surloin. Not so called because this cut of beef was once jocosely knighted (dubbed Sir Loin) by an English king, as according to a popular story.] A loin of beef, or a part of a loin. [Written also surloin.]

Sir"name` (?), n. See Surname.

Si"roc (?), n. See Sirocco. [Poetic] Emerson.

Si*roc"co (?), n.; pl. Siroccos (?). [It. sirocco, scirocco, Ar. shorug, fr. sharq the rising of the sun, the east, fr, sharaca to rise as the sun. Cf. Saracen.] An oppressive, relaxing wind from the Libyan deserts, chiefly experienced in Italy, Malta, and Sicily.

Sir"rah (?), n. [Probably from Icel. sra, fr. F. sire. See Sir.] A term of address implying inferiority and used in anger, contempt, reproach, or disrespectful familiarity, addressed to a man or boy, but sometimes to a woman. In sililoquies often preceded by ah. Not used in the plural. "Ah, sirrah mistress." Beau. & Fl.

Go, sirrah, to my cell.

Shak.

Sirt (?), n. [See Syrt.] A quicksand. [Obs.]

{ Sir"up (?) Syr"up }, n. [F. sirop (cf. It. siroppo, Sp. jarabe, jarope, LL. siruppus, syrupus), fr. Ar. sharb a drink, wine, coffee, sirup. Cf. Sherbet.] 1. A thick and viscid liquid made from the juice of fruits, herbs, etc., boiled with sugar.

2. A thick and viscid saccharine solution of superior quality (as sugarhouse sirup or molasses, maple sirup); specifically, in pharmacy and often in cookery, a saturated solution of sugar and water (simple sirup), or such a solution flavored or medicated.

Lucent sirups tinct with cinnamon.

Keats.

Mixing sirup. See the Note under Dextrose.

{ Sir"uped (?), Syr"uped }, a. Moistened, covered, or sweetened with sirup, or sweet juice.

{ Sir"up*y (?), Syr"up*y }, a. Like sirup, or partaking of its qualities. Mortimer.

||Sir`vente" (?), n. [F. sirvente, fr. Pr. sirventes, sirventesc, ||originally, the poem of, or concerning, a sirvent, fr. sirvent, ||properly, serving, n., one who serves (e. g., as a soldier), fr. ||servir to serve, L. servire.] A peculiar species of poetry, for the ||most part devoted to moral and religious topics, and commonly ||satirical, -- often used by the troubadours of the Middle Ages.

Sis (?), n. A colloquial abbreviation of Sister.

Sis (?), n. Six. See Sise. [Obs.] Chaucer.

{ Si*sal" grass` (?), Si*sal" hemp` (?),} The prepared fiber of the Agave Americana, or American aloe, used for cordage; -- so called from Sisal, a port in Yucatan. See Sisal hemp, under Hemp.

Sis"co*wet (?), n. [OF American Indian origin.] (Zoöl.) A large, fat variety of the namaycush found in Lake Superior; -- called also siskawet, siskiwit.

Sise (?), n. [From Assize.] An assize. [Obs.]

Sise (?), n. [See Sice.] Six; the highest number on a die; the cast of six in throwing dice.

In the new casting of a die, when ace is on the top, sise must needs be at the bottom.

Fuller.

Sis"el (?), n. [Cf. G. ziesel. Cf. Zizel.] (Zoöl.) The suslik.

Si"ser (?), n. Cider. See Sicer. [Obs.] Chaucer.

{ Sis"e*ra*ra (?), Sis"e*ra*ry (?), } n. A hard blow. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Sis"kin (?), n. [Dan. sisgen; cf. Sw. siska, G. zeisig, D. sijsje; of Slav. origin; cf. Pol. czy&?;.] (Zoöl.) (a) A small green and yellow European finch (Spinus spinus, or Carduelis spinus); -- called also aberdevine. (b) The American pinefinch (S. pinus); -- called also pine siskin. See Pinefinch.

The name is applied also to several other related species found in Asia and South America.

Siskin green, a delicate shade of yellowish green, as in the mineral torbernite.

Sis"ki*wit (?), n. (Zoöl.) The siscowet.

Sis"mo*graph (?), n. See Seismograph.

Sis*mom"e*ter (?), n. See Seismometer.

Siss (?), v. i. [Of imitative origin; cf. D. sissen, G. zischen.] To make a hissing sound; as, a flatiron hot enough to siss when touched with a wet finger. [Colloq. U. S.; Local, Eng.]

Siss, n. A hissing noise. [Colloq. U. S.]

Sis*soo" (?), n. [Hind. ss&?;.] (Bot.) A leguminous tree (Dalbergia Sissoo) of the northern parts of India; also, the dark brown compact and durable timber obtained from it. It is used in shipbuilding and for gun carriages, railway ties, etc.

Sist (?), v. t. [L. sistere to bring to a stand, to stop.] 1. (Scots Law) To stay, as judicial proceedings; to delay or suspend; to stop.

2. To cause to take a place, as at the bar of a court; hence, to cite; to summon; to bring into court. [Scot.]

Some, however, have preposterously sisted nature as the first or generative principle.

Sir W. Hamilton.

<! p. 1347 !>

Sist (?), n. (Scots Law) A stay or suspension of proceedings; an order for a stay of proceedings. Burril.

Sis"ter (?), n. [OE. sister, fr. Icel. systir; also suster, from AS. sweostor, sweoster, swuster, akin to OFries. sweester, suster, LG. süster, suster, D. zuster, OS. & OHG. swestar, G. schwester, Icel. systir, Sw. syster, Dan. söster, Goth. swistar, Lith. ses&?;, Russ. sestra, Pol. siostra, L. soror, Skr. svasr. &radic;298. Cf. Cousin.] 1. A female who has the same parents with another person, or who has one of them only. In the latter case, she is more definitely called a half sister. The correlative of brother.

I am the sister of one Claudio.

Shak.

2. A woman who is closely allied to, or assocciated with, another person, as in the sdame faith, society, order, or community. James ii. 15.

3. One of the same kind, or of the same condition; -- generally used adjectively; as, sister fruits. Pope.

Sister Block (Naut.), a tackle block having two sheaves, one above the other. -- Sister hooks, a pair of hooks fitted together, the shank of one forming a mousing for the other; -- called also match hook. -- Sister of charity, Sister of mercy. (R. C. Ch.) See under Charity, and Mercy.

Sis"ter, v. t. To be sister to; to resemble closely. [Obs.] Shak.

Sis"ter*hood (?), n. [Sister + hood.] 1. The state or relation of being a sister; the office or duty of a sister.

She . . . abhorr'd Her proper blood, and left to do the part Of sisterhood, to do that of a wife.

Daniel.

2. A society of sisters; a society of women united in one faith or order; sisters, collectively. "A sisterhood of holy nuns." Shak.

The fair young flowers . . . a beauteous sisterhood.

Bryant.

Sis"ter*ing, a. Contiguous. [Obs.] Shak.

Sis"ter-in-law` (?), n.; pl. Sisters-in-law (&?;). The sister of one's husband or wife; also, the wife of one's brother; sometimes, the wife of one's husband's or wife's brother.

Sis"ter*ly, a. Like a sister; becoming a sister, affectionate; as, sisterly kindness; sisterly remorse. Shak.

Sis"tine (?), a.[It. sistino.] Of or pertaining to Pope Sixtus.

Sistine chapel, a chapel in the Vatican at Rome, built by Pope Sixtus IV., and decorated with frescoes by Michael Angelo and others.

Sis"tren (?), n. pl. Sisters. [Obs.] Chaucer.

||Sis"trum (?), [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;, from &?;&?;&?; to shake.] ||(Mus.) An instrument consisting of a thin metal frame, through which ||passed a number of metal rods, and furnished with a handle by which ||it was shaken and made to rattle. It was peculiarly Egyptian, and ||used especially in the worship of Isis. It is still used in Nubia.

Sis`y*phe"an (?), a. Relating to Sisyphus; incessantly recurring; as, Sisyphean labors.

Sis"y*phus (?), n. [L. Sisyphus, Sisyphus, fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;.] (Class. Myth.) A king of Corinth, son of Æolus, famed for his cunning. He was killed by Theseus, and in the lower world was condemned by Pluto to roll to the top of a hill a huge stone, which constantly rolled back again, making his task incessant.

Sit (?), obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Sit, for sitteth.

Sit, v. i. [imp. Sat (?) (Sate (?), archaic); p. p. Sat (Sitten (?), obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Sitting.] [OE. sitten, AS. sittan; akin to OS. sittian, OFries. sitta, D. zitten, G. sitzen, OHG. sizzen, Icel. sitja, SW. sitta, Dan. sidde, Goth. sitan, Russ. sidiete, L. sedere, Gr. &?;&?;&?;, Skr. sad. &radic;154. Cf. Assess,Assize, Cathedral, Chair, Dissident, Excise, Insidious, Possess, Reside, Sanhedrim, Seance, Seat, n., Sedate, 4th Sell, Siege, Session, Set, v. t., Sizar, Size, Subsidy.] 1. To rest upon the haunches, or the lower extremity of the trunk of the body; -- said of human beings, and sometimes of other animals; as, to sit on a sofa, on a chair, or on the ground.

And he came and took the book put of the right hand of him that sate upon the seat.

Bible (1551) (Rev. v. 7.)

I pray you, jest, sir, as you sit at dinner.

Shak.

2. To perch; to rest with the feet drawn up, as birds do on a branch, pole, etc.

3. To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.

And Moses said to . . . the children of Reuben, Shall your brothren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

Num. xxxii. 6.

Like a demigod here sit I in the sky.

Shak.

4. To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh; - - with on; as, a weight or burden sits lightly upon him.

The calamity sits heavy on us.

Jer. Taylor.

5. To be adjusted; to fit; as, a coat sts well or ill.

This new and gorgeous garment, majesty, Sits not so easy on me as you think.

Shak.

6. To suit one well or ill, as an act; to become; to befit; -- used impersonally. [Obs.] Chaucer.

7. To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not.

Jer. xvii. 11.

8. To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.

Like a good miller that knows how to grind, which way soever the wind sits.

Selden.

Sits the wind in that quarter?

Sir W. Scott.

9. To occupy a place or seat as a member of an official body; as, to sit in Congress.

10. To hold a session; to be in session for official business; -- said of legislative assemblies, courts, etc.; as, the court sits in January; the aldermen sit to- night.

11. To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of one's self made, as a picture or a bust; as, to sit to a painter.

To sit at, to rest under; to be subject to. [Obs.] "A farmer can not husband his ground so well if he sit at a great rent". Bacon. -- To sit at meat or at table, to be at table for eating. -- To sit down. (a) To place one's self on a chair or other seat; as, to sit down when tired. (b) To begin a siege; as, the enemy sat down before the town. (c) To settle; to fix a permanent abode. Spenser. (d) To rest; to cease as satisfied. "Here we can not sit down, but still proceed in our search." Rogers. -- To sit for a fellowship, to offer one's self for examination with a view to obtaining a fellowship. [Eng. Univ.] -- To sit out. (a) To be without engagement or employment. [Obs.] Bp. Sanderson. (b) To outstay. -- To sit under, to be under the instruction or ministrations of; as, to sit under a preacher; to sit under good preaching. -- To sit up, to rise from, or refrain from, a recumbent posture or from sleep; to sit with the body upright; as, to sit up late at night; also, to watch; as, to sit up with a sick person. "He that was dead sat up, and began to speak." Luke vii. 15.

Sit (?), v. t. 1. To sit upon; to keep one's seat upon; as, he sits a horse well.

Hardly the muse can sit the headstrong horse.

Prior.

2. To cause to be seated or in a sitting posture; to furnish a seat to; -- used reflexively.

They sat them down to weep.

Milton.

Sit you down, father; rest you.

Shak.

3. To suit (well or ill); to become. [Obs. or R.]

Site (?), n. [L. situs, fr. sinere, situm, to let, p. p. situs placed, lying, situate: cf. F. site. Cf. Position.] 1. The place where anything is fixed; situation; local position; as, the site of a city or of a house. Chaucer.

2. A place fitted or chosen for any certain permanent use or occupation; as, a site for a church.

3. The posture or position of a thing. [R.]

The semblance of a lover fixed In melancholy site.

Thomson.

Sit"ed (?), a. Having a site; situated. [Obs.]

[The garden] sited was in fruitful soil.

Chaucer.

Sit"fast` (?), a. [Sit + fast.] Fixed; stationary; immovable. [R.]

'T is good, when you have crossed the sea and back, To find the sitfast acres where you left them.

Emerson.

Sit"fast`, n. (Far.) A callosity with inflamed edges, on the back of a horse, under the saddle.

Sith (?), prep., adv., & conj. [See Since.] Since; afterwards; seeing that. [Obs.]

We need not fear them, sith Christ is with us.

Latimer.

Sith thou art rightful judge.

Chaucer.

{ Sith (?), Sithe (?), } n. [AS. &?;&?;&?; a path, way, time, occasion.] Time. [Obs.] Chaucer.

And humbly thanked him a thousand sithes.

Spenser.

Sithe (?), v. i. [Cf. Sigh.] To sigh. [A spelling of a corrupt and provincial pronunciation.]

Sithe (?), n. A scythe. [Obs.] Milton.

Sithe, v. t. To cut with a scythe; to scythe. [Obs.]

Sithed (?), a. Scythed. [Obs.] T. Warton.

Sithe"man (?), n. A mower. [Obs.] Marston.

Sith"en (?), adv. & conj. [See Since.] Since; afterwards. See 1st Sith. [Obs.]

Fortune was first friend and sithen foe.

Chaucer.

{ Sith"ence, Sith"ens } (?), adv. & conj. Since. See Sith, and Sithen. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

Sith"then (?), adv. & conj. See Sithen. [Obs.]

Siththen that the world began.

Chaucer.

Si*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; food + -logy.] A treatise on the regulation of the diet; dietetics. [Written also sitiology.]

Si`to*pho"bi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; food + &?;&?;&?;&?; fear.] (Med.) A version to food; refusal to take nourishment. [Written also sitiophobia.]

Sit"ten (?), obs. p. p. of Sit, for sat.

Sit"ter (?), n. 1. One who sits; esp., one who sits for a portrait or a bust.

2. A bird that sits or incubates.

Sit"tine (?), a. [NL. sitta the nuthatch, from Gr. &?;&?;&?;.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the family Sittidæ, or nuthatches.

Sit"ting (?), a. Being in the state, or the position, of one who, or that which, sits.

Sit"ting, n. 1. The state or act of one who sits; the posture of one who occupies a seat.

2. A seat, or the space occupied by or allotted for a person, in a church, theater, etc.; as, the hall has 800 sittings.

3. The act or time of sitting, as to a portrait painter, photographer, etc.

4. The actual presence or meeting of any body of men in their seats, clothed with authority to transact business; a session; as, a sitting of the judges of the King's Bench, or of a commission.

The sitting closed in great agitation.

Macaulay.

5. The time during which one sits while doing something, as reading a book, playing a game, etc.

For the understanding of any one of St. Paul's Epistles I read it all through at one sitting.

Locke.

6. A brooding over eggs for hatching, as by fowls.

The male bird . . . amuses her [the female] with his songs during the whole time of her sitting.

Addison.

Sitting room, an apartment where the members of a family usually sit, as distinguished from a drawing-room, parlor, chamber, or kitchen.

{ Sit"u*ate (?; 135), Sit"u*a`ted (?) }, a. [LL. situatus, from situare to place, fr. L. situs situation, site. See Site.] 1. Having a site, situation, or location; being in a relative position; permanently fixed; placed; located; as, a town situated, or situate, on a hill or on the seashore.

2. Placed; residing.

Pleasure situate in hill and dale.

Milton.

Situate is now less used than situated, but both are well authorized.

Sit"u*ate (?), v. t. To place. [R.] Landor.

Sit`u*a"tion (?), n. [LL. situatio: cf. F. situation.] 1. Manner in which an object is placed; location, esp. as related to something else; position; locality site; as, a house in a pleasant situation.

2. Position, as regards the conditions and circumstances of the case.

A situation of the greatest ease and tranquillity.

Rogers.

3. Relative position; circumstances; temporary state or relation at a moment of action which excites interest, as of persons in a dramatic scene.

There's situation for you! there's an heroic group!

Sheridan.

4. Permanent position or employment; place; office; as, a situation in a store; a situation under government.

Syn. -- State; position; seat; site; station; post; place; office; condition; case; plight. See State.

||Si"tus (?), n. [L., situation.] (Bot.) The method in which the parts ||of a plant are arranged; also, the position of the parts. Henslow.

Sitz" bath` (?). [G. sitzbad.] A tub in which one bathes in a sitting posture; also, a bath so taken; a hip bath.

||Si"va (?), n. [Skr. Civa, properly, kind, gracious.] (Hindoo Myth.) ||One of the triad of Hindoo gods. He is the avenger or destroyer, and ||in modern worship symbolizes the reproductive power of nature.