Chapter CD: Prologue (51)

Defn: Same as Sensorium.

SENSORY Sen"so*ry, a. (Physiol.)

Defn: 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.

SENSUAL Sen"su*al, a. Etym: [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.

SENSUALISM Sen"su*al*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. sensualisme.]

1. The condition or character of one who is sensual; subjection to sensual feelings and appetite; sensuality.

2. (Philos.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: The regarding of the gratification of the senses as the highest good. Krauth-Fleming.

SENSUALIST Sen"su*al*ist, n. Etym: [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.

SENSUALISTIC Sen`su*al*is"tic, a.

1. Sensual.

2. Adopting or teaching the doctrines of sensualism.

SENSUALITY Sen`su*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [CF. F. sensualité, L. sensualitas sensibility, capacity for sensation.]

Defn: 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.

SENSUALIZATION Sen`su*al*i*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act of sensualizing, or the state of being sensualized.

SENSUALIZE Sen"su*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sensualized; p. pr. & vb. n. Sensualizing.]

Defn: 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.

SENSUALLY Sen"su*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a sensual manner.

SENSUALNESS Sen"su*al*ness, n.

Defn: Sensuality; fleshliness.

SENSUISM Sen"su*ism, n.

Defn: Sensualism.

SENSUOSITY Sen`su*os"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being sensuous; sensuousness. [R.]

SENSUOUS 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 Sent, v. & n.

Defn: See Scent, v. & n. [Obs.] Spenser.

SENT Sent,

Defn: obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Send, for sendeth.

SENT Sent,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Send.

SENTENCE Sen"tence, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

SENTENCE 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 sentenciously. [Obs.] Feltham.

SENTENCE METHOD Sen"tence meth`od. (Education)

Defn: A method of teaching reading by giving first attention to phrases and sentences and later analyzing these into their verbal and alphabetic components; -- contrasted with alphabet and word methods.

SENTENCER Sen"ten*cer, n.

Defn: One who pronounced a sentence or condemnation.

SENTENTIAL 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.

SENTENTIALLY Sen*ten"tial*ly, adv.

Defn: In a sentential manner.

SENTENTIARIST Sen*ten"ti*a*rist, n.

Defn: A sententiary. Barnas Sears (Life of Luther).

SENTENTIARY Sen*ten"ti*ary, n. Etym: [LL. sententiarius.]

Defn: One who read lectures, or commented, on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris (1159-1160), a school divine. R. Henry.

SENTENTIOSITY Sen*ten`ti*os"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being sententious. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

SENTENTIOUS Sen*ten"tious, a.Etym: [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.

SENTERY Sen"ter*y, n.

Defn: A sentry. [Obs.] Milton.

SENTEUR Sen"teur, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Scent. [Obs.] Holland.

SENTIENCE; SENTIENCY Sen"ti*ence, Sen"ti*en*cy, n. Etym: [See Sentient, Sentence.]

Defn: 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.

SENTIENT Sen"ti*ent, a. Etym: [L. sentiens, -entis, p. pr. of sentire to discern or perceive by the senses. See Sense.]

Defn: 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.

SENTIENT Sen"ti*ent, n.

Defn: One who has the faculty of perception; a sentient being.

SENTIENTLY Sen"ti*ent*ly, adv.

Defn: In a sentient or perceptive way.

SENTIMENT Sen"ti*ment, n. Etym: [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.

SENTIMENTAL Sen`ti*men"tal, a. Etym: [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.

SENTIMENTALISM Sen`ti*men"tal*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. sentimentalisme.]

Defn: The quality of being sentimental; the character or behavior of a sentimentalist; sentimentality.

SENTIMENTALIST Sen`ti*men"tal*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. sentimentaliste.]

Defn: One who has, or affects, sentiment or fine feeling.

SENTIMENTALITY Sen`ti*men*tal"i*ty, n. Etym: [CF. F. sentimentalité.]

Defn: The quality or state of being sentimental.

SENTIMENTALIZE Sen`ti*men"tal*ize, v. t.

Defn: To regard in a sentimental manner; as, to sentimentalize a subject.

SENTIMENTALIZE Sen`ti*men"tal*ize, v. i.

Defn: To think or act in a sentimental manner, or like a sentimentalist; to affect exquisite sensibility. C. Kingsley.

SENTIMENTALLY Sen`ti*men"tal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a sentimental manner.

SENTINE Sen"tine, n. Etym: [L. sentina bilge water, hold of a ship, dregs: cf. F. sentine.]

Defn: A place for dregs and dirt; a sink; a sewer. [Obs.] Latimer.

SENTINEL Sen"ti*nel, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A marine crab (Podophthalmus vigil) native of the Indian Ocean, remarkable for the great length of its eyestalks; -- called also sentinel crab.

SENTINEL 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.

SENTISECTION Sen`ti*sec"tion, n. Etym: [L. sentire to feel + E. section.]

Defn: Painful vivisection; -- opposed to callisection. B. G. Wilder.

SENTRY Sen"try, n.; pl. Sentires. Etym: [Probably from OF. senteret a little patch; cf. F. sentier path, and OF. sente. See Sentinel.]

1. (Mil.)

Defn: 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.

SENZA Sen"za, prep. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)

Defn: Without; as, senza stromenti, without instruments.

SEOR Se*ñor", n. [Sp. Cf. Senior.]

Defn: A Spanish title of courtesy corresponding to the English Mr. or Sir; also, a gentleman.

SEORA Se*ño"ra, n. [Sp.]

Defn: A Spanish title of courtesy given to a lady; Mrs.; Madam; also, a lady.

SEORITA Se`ño*ri"ta, n. [Sp.]

Defn: A Spanish title of courtesy given to a young lady; Miss; also, a young lady.

SEPAL Se"pal, n. Etym: [NL. sepalum, formed in imitation of NL. petalum, petal, to denote one of the divisions of the calyx: cf. F. sépale.] (Bot.)

Defn: A leaf or division of the calyx.

Note: 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.

SEPALED Se"paled, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having one or more sepals.

SEPALINE Sep"al*ine, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Relating to, or having the nature of, sepals.

SEPALODY Se*pal"o*dy, n. Etym: [Sepal + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The metamorphosis of other floral organs into sepals or sepaloid bodies.

SEPALOID Sep"al*oid, a. Etym: [Sepal + -oid.] (Bot.)

Defn: Like a sepal, or a division of a calyx.

SEPALOUS Sep"al*ous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having, or relating to, sepals; -- used mostly in composition. See under Sepal.

SEPARABILITY Sep`a*ra*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Quality of being separable or divisible; divisibility; separableness.

SEPARABLE Sep"a*ra*ble, a. Etym: [L. separabilis: cf. F. séparable.]

Defn: 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.

SEPARATE Sep"a*rate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Separated (; p. pr. & vb. n. Separating.] Etym: [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.

SEPARATE Sep"a*rate, v. i.

Defn: To part; to become disunited; to be disconnected; to withdraw from one another; as, the family separated.

SEPARATE Sep"a*rate, p. a. Etym: [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.

SEPARATICAL Sep`a*rat"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to separatism in religion; schismatical. [R.] Dr. T. Dwight.

SEPARATING Sep"a*ra`ting, a.

Defn: 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.

SEPARATION Sep`a*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. separatio: cf. F. séparation.]

Defn: 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.

SEPARATISM Sep"a*ra*tism, n. Etym: [CF. F. séparatisme.]

Defn: The character or act of a separatist; disposition to withdraw from a church; the practice of so withdrawing.

SEPARATIST Sep`a*ra*tist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. séparatiste.]

Defn: 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.

SEPARATISTIC Sep`a*ra*tis"tic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to separatists; characterizing separatists; schismatical.

SEPARATIVE Sep"a*ra*tive, a. Etym: [L. separativus.]

Defn: Causing, or being to cause, separation. "Separative virtue of extreme cold." Boyle.

SEPARATOR Sep"a*ra`tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: 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)

Defn: An instrument used for spreading apart the threads of the warp in the loom, etc.

SEPARATORY Sep"a*ra*to*ry, a.

Defn: Separative. Cheyne.

SEPARATORY Sep"a*ra*to*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. séparatoire.]

1. (Chem.)

Defn: An apparatus used in separating, as a separating funnel.

2. (Surg.)

Defn: A surgical instrument for separating the pericranium from the cranium. [Obs.]

SEPARATRIX Sep`a*ra"trix, n.; pl. L. -trices, E. -trixes. Etym: [L., she that separates.] (Arith.)

Defn: 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.

SEPAWN Se*pawn", n.

Defn: See Supawn. [Local, U.S.]

SEPELIBLE Sep"e*li*ble, a. Etym: [L. sepelibilis, fr. sepelire to bury.]

Defn: Admitting of burial. [Obs.] Bailey.

SEPELITION Sep`e*li"tion, n.

Defn: Burial. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

SEPHARDIC Se*phar"dic, a. [From Sephardim, a name applied to the Spanish Jews, fr. Sephard, name of a place where Jews were held in captivity (Ob. 20).]

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, the Jews (the Sephardim, also called Spanish or Portuguese Jews) descended from Jewish families driven from Spain by the Inquisition.

SEPHARDIM Se*phar"dim, n. pl. [NHeb.; orig. uncert.]

Defn: Jews who are descendants of the former Jews of Spain and Portugal. They are as a rule darker than the northern Jews, and have more delicate features.

SEPHEN Se"phen, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

SEPIA Se"pi*a, n.; pl. E. Sepias, L. Sepiæ. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

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.

SEPIA Se"pi*a, a.

Defn: Of a dark brown color, with a little red in its composition; also, made of, or done in, sepia.

SEPIC Se"pic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to sepia; done in sepia; as, a sepic drawing.

SEPIDACEOUS Sep`i*da"ceous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like or pertaining to the cuttlefishes of the genus Sepia.

SEPIMENT Sep"i*ment, n. Etym: [L. sepimentum, saepimentum, from sepire, saepire, to hedge in.]

Defn: Something that separates; a hedge; a fence. [R.] Bailey.

SEPIOLITE Se"pi*o*lite`, n. Etym: [Septa + -lite.] (Min.)

Defn: Meerschaum. See Meerschaum.

SEPIOSTARE Se"pi*o*stare`, n. Etym: [Sepia + Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The bone or shell of cuttlefish. See Illust. under Cuttlefish.

SEPON Se*pon", n.

Defn: See Supawn. [Local, U.S.]

SEPOSE Se*pose", v. t. Etym: [L. pref se- aside + E. pose.]

Defn: To set apart. [Obs.] Donne.

SEPOSIT Se*pos"it, v. t. Etym: [L. sepositus, p. p. of seponere to set aside.]

Defn: To set aside; to give up. [Obs.]

SEPOSITION Sep`o*si"tion (, n. Etym: [L. sepositio.]

Defn: The act of setting aside, or of giving up. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

SEPOY Se"poy, n. Etym: [Per. sipahi, fr. sipah an army. Cf. Spahi.]

Defn: 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.

SEPPUKU Sep*pu"ku, n.

Defn: Same as Hara-kiri. Seppuku, or hara-kiri, also came into vogue. W. E. Griffis.

SEPSIN Sep"sin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: A soluble poison (ptomaine) present in putrid blood. It is also formed in the putrefaction of proteid matter in general.

SEPSIS Sep"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: The poisoning of the system by the introduction of putrescent material into the blood.

SEPT Sept, n. Etym: [A corruption of sect, n.]

Defn: 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.

SEPTAEMIA Sep*tæ"mi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Septicæmia.

SEPTAL Sep"tal, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a septum or septa, as of a coral or a shell.

SEPTANE Sep"tane, n. Etym: [L. septem seven.] (Chem.)

Defn: See Heptane. [R.]

SEPTANGLE Sep"tan`gle, n. Etym: [Septi- + angle.] (Geom.)

Defn: A figure which has seven angles; a heptagon. [R.]

SEPTANGULAR Sep*tan"gu*lar, a.

Defn: Heptagonal.

SEPTARIUM Sep*ta"ri*um, n.;pl. Septaria. Etym: [NL., fr. L. septum, saeptum, an inclosure, a partition, fr. sepire, saepire, to inclose.] (Geol.)

Defn: A flattened concretionary nodule, usually of limestone, intersected within by cracks which are often filled with calcite, barite, or other minerals.

SEPTATE Sep"tate, a. Etym: [L. septum, saeptum, partition.]

Defn: Divided by partition or partitions; having septa; as, a septate pod or shell.

SEPTEMBER Sep*tem"ber, n. Etym: [L., fr. septem seven, as being the seventh month of the Roman year, which began with March: cf. F. septembre. See Seven.]

Defn: The ninth month of the year, containing thurty days.

SEPTEMBERER Sep*tem"ber*er, n.

Defn: A Setembrist. Carlyle.

SEPTEMBRIST Sep*tem"brist, n. Etym: [F. septembriste.]

Defn: An agent in the massacres in Paris, committed in patriotic frenzy, on the 22d of September, 1792.

SEPTEMFLUOUS Sep*tem"flu*ous, a.Etym: [L. septemfluus; septem seven + fluere to flow.]

Defn: Flowing sevenfold; divided into seven streams or currents. [R.] Fuller.

SEPTEMPARTITE Sep*tem"par*tite, a. Etym: [L. septem seven + E. partite.]

Defn: Divided nearly to the base into seven parts; as, a septempartite leaf.

SEPTEMTRIOUN Sep*tem"tri*oun, n.

Defn: Septentrion. [Obs.]

SEPTEMVIR Sep*tem"vir, n.; pl. E. Septemvirs, L. Septemviri. Etym: [L. septemviri, pl.; septem seven + viri, pl. of vir man.] (Rom. Hist.)

Defn: One of a board of seven men associated in some office.

SEPTEMVIRATE Sep*tem"vi*rate, n.Etym: [L. septemviratus.]

Defn: The office of septemvir; a government by septimvirs.

SEPTENARY Sep"ten*a*ry, a. Etym: [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.

SEPTENARY Sep"ten*a*ry, n.

Defn: The number seven. [R.] Holinshed.

SEPTENATE Sep"ten*ate, a. Etym: [L. septeni seven each.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having parts in sevens; heptamerous.

SEPTENNATE Sep*ten"nate, n. Etym: [F. septennat.]

Defn: A period of seven years; as, the septennate during which the President of the French Republic holds office.

SEPTENNIAL Sep*ten"ni*al, a. Etym: [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.

SEPTENNIALLY Sep*ten"ni*al*ly, adv.

Defn: Once in seven years.

SEPTENTRIAL Sep*ten"tri*al, a.

Defn: Septentrional. Drayton.

SEPTENTRIO Sep*ten"tri*o, n. Etym: [L. See Septentrion.] (Astron.)

Defn: The constellation Ursa Major.

SEPTENTRION Sep*ten"tri*on, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: The north or northern regions. Shak. Both East West, South and Septentrioun. Chaucer.

SEPTENTRION; SEPTENTRIONAL Sep*ten"tri*on, Sep*ten"tri*on*al, a. Etym: [L. septentrionalis: cf. F. septentrional.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the north; northern. "From cold septentrion blasts." Milton.

SEPTENTRIONALITY Sep*ten`tri*on*al"i*ty, n.

Defn: Northerliness.

SEPTENTRIONALLY Sep*ten"tri*on*al*ly, adv.

Defn: Northerly.

SEPTENTRIONATE Sep*ten"tri*on*ate, v. i.

Defn: To tend or point toward the north; to north. Sir T. Browne.

SEPTET; SEPTETTE Sep*tet", Sep*tette", n. Etym: [From L. septem seven, like duet, from L. duo.]

1. A set of seven persons or objects; as, a septet of singers.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: A musical composition for seven instruments or seven voices; -- called also septuor.

SEPTFOIL Sept"foil, n. Etym: [F. sept seven (L. septem) + E. foil leaf: cf. L. septifolium.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A European herb, the tormentil. See Tormentil.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: An ornamental foliation having seven lobes. Cf. Cinquefoil, Quarterfoil, and Trefoil.

3. (Eccl.Art.)

Defn: 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.]

SEPTI- Sep"ti-, Etym: [L. septem seven.]

Defn: A combining form meaning seven; as, septifolious, seven-leaved; septi-lateral, seven-sided.

SEPTIC Sep"tic, a. Etym: [Septi- + -ic.] (Math.)

Defn: Of the seventh degree or order. -- n. (Alg.)

Defn: A quantic of the seventh degree.

SEPTIC; SEPTICAL Sep"tic, Sep"tic*al, a. Etym: [L. septicus, Gr. septique.]

Defn: Having power to promote putrefaction.

SEPTIC Sep"tic, n.

Defn: A substance that promotes putrefaction.

SEPTICAEMIA Sep`ti*cæ"mi*a, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Med.)

Defn: 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.

SEPTICALLY Sep"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a septic manner; in a manner tending to promote putrefaction.

SEPTICIDAL Sep"ti*ci`dal, a. Etym: [Septum + L. caedere to cut: cf. F. septicide.] (Bot.)

Defn: Dividing the partitions; -- said of a method of dehiscence in which a pod splits through the partitions and is divided into its component carpels.

SEPTICITY Sep*tic"i*ty, n. Etym: [See Septic.]

Defn: Tendency to putrefaction; septic quality.

SEPTIFARIOUS Sep`ti*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. septifariam sevenfold. Cf. Bifarious.] (Bot.)

Defn: Turned in seven different ways.

SEPTIFEROUS Sep*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Septum + -ferous: cf. F. septifère.] (Bot.)

Defn: Bearing a partition; -- said of the valves of a capsule.

SEPTIFEROUS Sep*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Gr. -ferous.]

Defn: Conveying putrid poison; as, the virulence of septiferous matter.

SEPTIFLUOUS Sep*tif"lu*ous, a. Etym: [CF. Septemfluous.]

Defn: Flowing in seven streams; septemfluous.

SEPTIFOLIOUS Sep`ti*fo"li*ous, a. Etym: [Septi- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having seven leaves.

SEPTIFORM Sep"ti*form, a. Etym: [Septum + -form.]

Defn: Having the form of a septum.

SEPTIFRAGAL Sep*tif"ra*gal, a. Etym: [Septum + L. frangere, fractum, to break.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

SEPTILATERAL Sep`ti*lat"er*al, a. Etym: [Septi- + lateral.]

Defn: Having seven sides; as, a septilateral figure.

SEPTILLION Sep*til"lion, n. Etym: [F. septilion, formed fr. L. septem seven, in imitation of million.]

Defn: 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.

SEPTIMOLE Sep"ti*mole, n. Etym: [L. septem seven.] (Mus.)

Defn: A group of seven notes to be played in the time of four or six.

SEPTINSULAR Sep*tin"su*lar, a. Etym: [Septi- + insular.]

Defn: Consisting of seven islands; as, the septinsular republic of the Ionian Isles.

SEPTISYLLABLE Sep"ti*syl`la*ble, n. Etym: [Septi- + syllable.]

Defn: A word of seven syllables.

SEPTOIC Sep*to"ic, a. Etym: [L. septem seven.] (Chem.)

Defn: See Heptoic. [R.]

SEPTOMAXILLARY Sep`to*max"il*la*ry, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the nasal septum and the maxilla; situated in the region of these parts. -- n.

Defn: A small bone between the nasal septum and the maxilla in many reptiles and amphibians.

SEPTUAGENARIAN Sep`tu*a*ge*na"ri*an, n.

Defn: A person who is seventy years of age; a septuagenary.

SEPTUAGENARY Sep`tu*ag"e*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. septuagenarius, fr. septuageny seventy each; akin to septuaginta seventy, septem seven. See Seven.]

Defn: Consisting of seventy; also, seventy years old. -- n.

Defn: A septuagenarian.

SEPTUAGESIMA Sep`tu*a*ges"i*ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. septuagesimus the seventieth, fr. septuaginta seventy.] (Eccl.)

Defn: The third Sunday before Lent; -- so called because it is about seventy days before Easter.

SEPTUAGESIMAL Sep`tu*a*ges"i*mal, a.

Defn: Consisting of seventy days, years, etc.; reckoned by seventies. Our abridged and septuagesimal age. Sir T. Browne.

SEPTUAGINT Sep"tu*a*gint, n. Etym: [From L. septuaginta seventy.]

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

SEPTUARY Sep"tu*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. septem seven.]

Defn: Something composed of seven; a week. [R.] Ash.

SEPTULATE Sep"tu*late, a. Etym: [Dim. fr. septum.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having imperfect or spurious septa.

SEPTULUM Sep"tu*lum, n.; pl. Septula. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. septum septum.] (Anat.)

Defn: A little septum; a division between small cavities or parts.

SEPTUM Sep"tum, n.; pl. Septa. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

SEPTUOR Sep"tu*or, n. Etym: [F.] (Mus.)

Defn: A septet.

SEPTUPLE Sep"tu*ple, a. Etym: [LL. septuplus; cf. Gr. septuple. Cf. Double, Quadruple.]

Defn: Seven times as much; multiplied by seven; sevenfold.

SEPTUPLE Sep"tu*ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Septupled; p. pr. & vb. n. Septupling.]

Defn: To multiply by seven; to make sevenfold. Sir J. Herschel.

SEPULCHER; SEPULCHRE Sep"ul*cher, Sep"ul*chre, n. Etym: [OE. sepulcre, OF. sepulcre, F. sépulcre, fr. L. sepulcrum, sepulchrum, fr. sepelire to bury.]

Defn: 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.

SEPULCHER; SEPULCHRE Sep"ul*cher, Sep"ul*chre, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sepulchered or Sepulchred (; p. pr. & vb. n. Sepulchering or Sepulchring (.]

Defn: 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.

SEPULCHRAL Se*pul"chral, a. Etym: [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.

SEPULTURE Sep"ul*ture, n. Etym: [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 the horrible sepulture of man's reason. Chaucer.

SEQUACIOUS Se*qua"cious, a. Etym: [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.

SEQUACIOUSNESS Se*qua"cious*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being sequacious.

SEQUACITY Se*quac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. sequacitas.]

Defn: Quality or state of being sequacious; sequaciousness. Bacon.

SEQUEL Se"quel, n. Etym: [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.

SEQUELA Se*que"la, n.; pl. Sequelæ. Etym: [L., a follower, a result, from sequit to follow.]

Defn: 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.)

Defn: A morbid phenomenon left as the result of a disease; a disease resulting from another.

SEQUENCE Se"quence, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.

SEQUENT Se"quent, a. Etym: [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.

SEQUENT Se"quent, n.

1. A follower. [R.] Shak.

2. That which follows as a result; a sequence.

SEQUENTIAL Se*quen"tial, a.

Defn: Succeeding or following in order. -- Se*quen"tial*ly, adv.

SEQUESTER Se*ques"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sequestered; p. pr. & vb. n. Sequestering.] Etym: [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)

Defn: 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.

SEQUESTER 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)

Defn: To renounce (as a widow may) any concern with the estate of her husband.

SEQUESTER Se*ques"ter, n.

1. Sequestration; separation. [R.]

2. (Law)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: Same as Sequestrum.

SEQUESTERED Se*ques"tered, a.

Defn: Retired; secluded. "Sequestered scenes." Cowper. Along the cool, sequestered vale of life. Gray.

SEQUESTRABLE Se*ques"tra*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being sequestered; subject or liable to sequestration.

SEQUESTRAL Se*ques"tral, a. (Med.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a sequestrum. Quian.

SEQUESTRATE Se*ques"trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sequestrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Sequestrating.]

Defn: To sequester.

SEQUESTRATION Seq`ues*tra"tion, n. Etym: [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) (Intrnat. 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.

SEQUESTRATOR Seq"ues*tra`tor, n. Etym: [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.

SEQUESTRUM Se*ques"trum, n.; pl. Sequestra. Etym: [NL. See Sequester.] (Med.)

Defn: A portion of dead bone which becomes separated from the sound portion, as in necrosis.

SEQUIN Se"quin, n. Etym: [F. sequin, It. zecchino, from zecca the mint, fr. Ar. sekkah, sikkah, a die, a stamp. Cf. Zechin.]

Defn: 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.]

SEQUOIA Se*quoi"a, n. Etym: [NL. So called by Dr. Endlicher in honor of Sequoyah, who invented the Cherokee alphabet.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

SEQUOIENE Se*quoi"ëne, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A hydrocarbon (C13H10) obtained in white fluorescent crystals, in the distillation products of the needles of the California "big tree" (Sequoia gigantea).

SERAC Sé`rac", n. [F. (in the Alps), orig., a kind of solid cheese.]

Defn: A pinnacle of ice among the crevasses of a glacier; also, one of the blocks into which a glacier breaks on a steep grade.

SERAGLIO Se*ragl"io, n. Etym: [It. serraglio, originally, an inclosure of palisades, afterwards also, a palace, seraglio (by confusion with Per. sera\'8ba 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.

SERAI Se*ra"i, n. Etym: [Per. sera\'8b, or saraï, a palace, a king's court, a seraglio, an inn. Cf. Caravansary.]

Defn: A palace; a seraglio; also, in the East, a place for the accommodation of travelers; a caravansary, or rest house.

SERALBUMEN Ser`al*bu"men, n. (Physiol. CHem.)

Defn: Serum albumin.

SERANG Se*rang", n. Etym: [Per. sarhang a commander.]

Defn: The boatswain of a Lascar or East Ondian crew.

SERAPE Se*ra"pe, n. Etym: [Sp. Amer. sarape.]

Defn: A blanket or shawl worn as an outer garment by the Spanish Americans, as in Mexico.

SERAPH Ser"aph, n.; pl. E. Seraphs, Heb. Seraphim. Etym: [Heb. seraphim, pl.]

Defn: 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.

SERAPHIC; SERAPHICAL Se*raph"ic, Se*raph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. séraphique.]

Defn: 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.

SERAPHICISM Se*raph"i*cism, n.

Defn: The character, quality, or state of a seraph; seraphicalness. [R.] Cudworth.

SERAPHIM Ser"a*phim, n.

Defn: The Hebrew plural of Seraph. Cf. Cherubim.

Note: The double plural form seraphims is sometimes used, as in the King James version of the Bible, Isa. vi. 2 and 6.

SERAPHINA Ser`a*phi"na, n. Etym: [NL.]

Defn: A seraphine.

SERAPHINE Ser"a*phine, n. Etym: [From Seraph.] (Mus.)

Defn: 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.

SERAPIS Se*ra"pis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Myth.)

Defn: 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.

SERASKIER Se*ras"kier, n. Etym: [Turk., fr. Per. ser head, chief + Ar. 'asker an army.]

Defn: A general or commander of land forces in the Turkish empire; especially, the commander-in-chief of minister of war.

SERASKIERATE Se*ras"kier*ate, n.

Defn: The office or authority of a seraskier.

SERBONIAN Ser*bo"ni*an, a.

Defn: 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 Sere, a.

Defn: Dry; withered. Same as Sear. But with its sound it shook the sails That were so thin and sere. Coleridge.

SERE Sere, n. Etym: [F. serre.]

Defn: Claw; talon. [Obs.] Chapman.

SEREIN Se*rein", n. Etym: [F. Cf. Serenade, n.] (Meteorol.)

Defn: A mist, or very fine rain, which sometimes falls from a clear sky a few moments after sunset. Tyndall.

SERENADE Ser`*enade", n. Etym: [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.

SERENADE Ser`e*nade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Serenaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Serenading.]

Defn: To entertain with a serenade.

SERENADE Ser`e*nade", v. i.

Defn: To perform a serenade.

SERENADER Ser`e*nad"er, n.

Defn: One who serenades.

SERENATA; SERENATE Ser`e*na"ta, Ser"e*nate, n. Etym: [It. serenata. See Serenade.] (Mus.)

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

SERENE Se*rene", a. Etym: [L. serenus to grow dry, Gr.

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.

Note: 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.

SERENE 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. Etym: [F. serein evening dew or damp. See Serein.]

Defn: Evening air; night chill. [Obs.] "Some serene blast me." B. Jonson.

SERENE Se*rene", v. t. Etym: [L. serenare.]

Defn: To make serene. Heaven and earth, as if contending, vie To raise his being, and serene his soul. Thomson.

SERENELY Se*rene"ly, adv.

1. In a serene manner; clearly. Now setting Phoebus shone serenely bright. Pope.

2. With unruffled temper; coolly; calmly. Prior.

SERENENESS Se*rene"ness, n.

Defn: Serenity. Feltham.

SERENITUDE Se*ren"i*tude, n.

Defn: Serenity. [Obs.]

SERENITY Se*ren"i*ty, n. Etym: [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.

Note: Serenity is given as a title to the members of certain princely families in Europe; as, Your Serenity.

SERF Serf, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

SERFAGE; SERFDOM Serf"age, Serf"dom, n.

Defn: The state or condition of a serf.

SERFHOOD; SERFISM Serf"hood, Serf"ism (, n.

Defn: Serfage.

SERGE Serge, n. Etym: [F. serge, sarge, originally, a silken stuff, fr. L. serica, f. or neut. pl. of sericus silken. See Sericeous, Silk.]

Defn: 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 Serge, n. Etym: [F. cierge.]

Defn: A large wax candle used in the ceremonies of various churches.

SERGEANCY Ser"gean*cy, n.; pl. Sergeancies. Etym: [Cf. Sergeanty.]

Defn: The office of a sergeant; sergeantship. [Written also serjeancy.]

SERGEANT Ser"geant, n. Etym: [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.