su·able ['sü-ə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. liable to be sued in court

sua·sion ['swā-zhən] -n, adj, adv

  1. the act of influencing or persuading

suave ['swäv] -adj, adv, n

  1. smoothly though often superficially gracious and sophisticated
  2. smooth in texture, performance, or style

sub ['səb] -n

  1. substitute
  2. to act as a substitute
  3. to read and edit as a copy editor : subedit
  4. subcontract
  5. submarine
  6. subaltern
  7. subscription
  8. subsidiary
  9. suburb

sub- -prefix

  1. under : beneath : below
    • sub soil
    • sub aqueous
  2. subordinate : secondary : next lower than or inferior to
    • sub station
    • sub editor
  3. subordinate portion of : subdivision of
    • sub committee
    • sub species
  4. with repetition (as of a process) so as to form, stress, or deal with subordinate parts or relations
    • sub let
    • sub contract
  5. less than completely, perfectly, or normally : somewhat
    • sub acute
    • sub clinical
  6. almost : nearly
    • sub erect
  7. falling nearly in the category of and often adjoining : bordering on
    • sub arctic

sub·ac·id [,səb-'a-səd] -adj, adv, n

  1. somewhat acrimonious : cutting
    • subacid comments

sub·acute [-ə-'kyüt] -adj, adv

  1. having a tapered but not sharply pointed form
    • subacute leaves
  2. falling between acute and chronic in character esp. when closer to acute
    • subacute endocarditis
  3. less marked in severity or duration than a corresponding acute state
    • subacute pain

subacute sclerosing pan·en·ceph·a·li·tis [-,pan-in-,se-fə-'lī-təs] -n

  1. a usu. fatal neurological disease of children and young adults caused by infection of the brain by a previously latent measles virus that is marked esp. by intellectual deterioration, behavioral changes, myoclonic seizures, progressive deterioration of motor and mental functioning, and coma

sub·adult [,səb-ə-'dəlt; ,səb-'a-,dəlt] -n, adj

  1. an individual that has passed through the juvenile period but not yet attained typical adult characteristics

sub·aer·i·al [-'er-ē-əl, -ā-'ir-ē-əl] -adj, adv

  1. situated, formed, or occurring on or immediately adjacent to the surface of the earth
    • subaerial erosion
    • subaerial roots

su·bah·dar [,sü-bə-'där] -n

  1. a governor of a province
  2. the chief Indian officer of a company of Indian troops in the British army of India

sub·al·pine [,səb-'al-,pīn] -adj

  1. of or relating to the region about the foot and lower slopes of the Alps
  2. of, relating to, or inhabiting high upland slopes and esp. the zone just below the timberline

subalpine fir -n

  1. a medium-sized fir ( Abies lasiocarpa) of subalpine regions of No. America having bluish-green white-lined needles

sub·al·tern [sə-'bȯl-tərn, esp Brit 'sə-bəl-tərn] -adj

  1. particular with reference to a related universal proposition
    • some S is P is a subaltern proposition to all S is P
  2. subordinate

subaltern -n

  1. a person holding a subordinate position
  2. a junior officer (as in the British army)
  3. a particular proposition that follows immediately from a universal

sub·ant·arc·tic [,səb-ant-'ärk-tik, -'är-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, characteristic of, or being a region just outside the antarctic circle

sub·api·cal [-'ā-pi-kəl also -'a-] -adj

  1. situated below or near an apex

sub·aquat·ic [-ə-'kwä-tik, -'kwa-] -adj

  1. somewhat aquatic
    • subaquatic vegetation

sub·aque·ous [-'ā-kwē-əs, -'a-] -adj

  1. existing, formed, or taking place in or under water

sub·arach·noid [-ə-'rak-,nȯid] -adj

  1. of, relating to, occurring, or situated under the arachnoid membrane
    • subarachnoid hemorrhage

sub·arc·tic [-'ärk-tik, -'är-tik] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, characteristic of, or being regions immediately outside of the arctic circle or regions similar to these in climate or conditions of life

sub·as·sem·bly [-ə-'sem-blē] -n

  1. an assembled unit designed to be incorporated with other units in a finished product

sub·at·mo·spher·ic [-,at-mə-'sfir-ik, -'sfer-] -adj

  1. less or lower than that of the atmosphere
    • subatmospheric pressure

sub·atom·ic [-ə-'tä-mik] -adj

  1. of or relating to the inside of the atom
  2. of, relating to, or being particles smaller than atoms

sub·au·di·tion [-ȯ-'di-shən] -n

  1. the act of understanding or supplying something not expressed : a reading between the lines

sub·base ['səb-,bās] -n

  1. : underlying support placed below what is normally construed as a base: as
  2. the lowest member horizontally of an architectural base or of a baseboard or pedestal
  3. pervious fill (as crushed stone) placed under a roadbed

sub·bi·tu·mi·nous [,səb-bə-'tü-mə-nəs, -bī-, -'tyü-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being coal of lower rank than bituminous coal but higher than lignite

sub·cab·i·net [-'kab-nit, -'ka-bə-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a high administrative position in the U.S. government that ranks below the cabinet level

sub·cap·su·lar [-'kap-sə-lər] -adj

  1. situated or occurring beneath or within a capsule
    • subcapsular cataracts

sub·cel·lu·lar [-'sel-yə-lər] -adj

  1. of less than cellular scope or level of organization
    • subcellular organelles
    • subcellular studies

sub·cen·ter [-'sen-tər] -n

  1. a secondary center
  2. a center (as for shopping) located outside the main business area of a city

sub·cen·tral [-trəl] -adj, adv

  1. nearly but not quite central
  2. located under a center

sub·chas·er ['səb-,chā-sər] -n

  1. a small maneuverable patrol or escort vessel used for antisubmarine warfare

sub·class ['səb-,klas] -n

  1. : a primary division of a class: as
  2. a category in biological classification ranking below a class and above an order
  3. subset

sub·clas·si·fi·ca·tion [,səb-,kla-sə-fə-'kā-shən] -n, vt

  1. a primary division of a classification
  2. arrangement into or assignment to subclassifications

sub·cla·vi·an [-'klā-vē-ən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, being, or inserted into a part (as an artery, vein, or nerve) located under the clavicle
    • subclavian catheter

subclavian -n

  1. a subclavian part (as an artery, vein, or nerve)

subclavian artery -n

  1. the proximal part of the main artery of the arm or forelimb

subclavian vein -n

  1. the proximal part of the main vein of the arm or forelimb

sub·cli·max [,səb-'klī-,maks] -n

  1. a stage or community in an ecological succession immediately preceding a climax
  2. one held in relative stability throughout by edaphic or biotic influences or by fire

sub·clin·i·cal [-'kli-ni-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. not detectable or producing effects that are not detectable by the usual clinical tests
    • a subclinical infection
    • subclinical cancer

sub·com·mit·tee ['səb-kə-,mi-tē, ,səb-kə-'] -n

  1. a subdivision of a committee usu. organized for a specific purpose

sub·com·mu·ni·ty [,səb-kə-'myü-nə-tē] -n

  1. a distinct grouping within a community

sub·com·pact ['səb-'käm-,pakt] -n

  1. an automobile smaller than a compact

sub·con·scious [,səb-'kän(t)-shəs, 'səb-] -adj, adv, n

  1. existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness
    • a subconscious motive

subconscious -n

  1. the mental activities just below the threshold of consciousness

sub·con·ti·nent [,səb-'kän-tə-nənt, -'känt-nənt] -n, adj

  1. a large landmass smaller than a continent
  2. a major subdivision of a continent
    • the Indian subcontinent

sub·con·tract [,səb-'kän-,trakt] -n

  1. a contract between a party to an original contract and a third party
  2. one to provide all or a specified part of the work or materials required in the original contract
  3. to let out or undertake work under a subcontract
  4. to engage a third party to perform under a subcontract all or part of (work included in an original contract) sometimes used with out
  5. to undertake (work) under a subcontract

sub·con·trac·tor [,səb-'kän-,trak-tər, ,səb-kən-'] -n

  1. an individual or business firm contracting to perform part or all of another's contract

sub·con·trary [,səb-'kän-,trer-ē] -n, adj

  1. a proposition so related to another that though both may be true they cannot both be false

sub·cool [-'kül] -vt

  1. supercool

sub·cor·ti·cal [-'kȯr-ti-kəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, involving, or being a part of the brain below the cerebral cortex
    • subcortical lesions

sub·crit·i·cal [-'kri-ti-kəl] -adj

  1. less or lower than critical in respect to a specified factor
  2. of insufficient size to sustain a chain reaction
    • a subcritical mass of fissionable material
  3. designed for use with fissionable material of subcritical mass
    • a subcritical reactor

sub·crust·al [-'krəs-tᵊl] -adj

  1. situated or occurring below a crust and esp. the crust of the earth

sub·cul·ture ['səb-,kəl-chər] -n, adj, adv, vt

  1. a culture (as of bacteria) derived from another culture
  2. an act or instance of producing a subculture
  3. an ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society
    • a criminal subculture

sub·cu·ta·ne·ous [,səb-kyu̇-'tā-nē-əs] -adj, adv

  1. being, living, occurring, or administered under the skin
    • subcutaneous parasites
    • subcutaneous tissues

sub·cu·tis [,səb-'kyü-təs] -n

  1. the deeper part of the dermis

sub·dea·con [-'dē-kən] -n

  1. : a cleric ranking below a deacon: as
  2. a cleric in the lowest of the former major orders of the Roman Catholic Church
  3. an Eastern Orthodox or Armenian cleric in minor orders
  4. a clergyman performing the liturgical duties of a subdeacon

sub·deb ['səb-,deb] -n

  1. subdebutante

sub·deb·u·tante [,səb-'de-byu̇-,tänt] -n

  1. a young girl who is about to become a debutante
  2. a girl in her middle teens

sub·der·mal [-'dər-məl] -adj, adv

  1. subcutaneous

sub·di·vide [,səb-də-'vīd, 'səb-də-,] -vb, adj, n

  1. to divide the parts of into more parts
  2. to divide into several parts
  3. to divide (a tract of land) into building lots
  4. to separate or become separated into subdivisions

sub·di·vi·sion ['səb-də-,vi-zhən] -n

  1. an act or instance of subdividing
  2. : something produced by subdividing: as
  3. a subordinate part of a larger whole
    • political subdivision s
  4. a tract of land surveyed and divided into lots for purposes of sale
  5. one with houses built on it
  6. a category in botanical classification ranking below a division and above a class

sub·dom·i·nant [,səb-'däm-nənt, -'dä-mə-] -n, adj

  1. the fourth tone of a major or minor scale
  2. something partly but incompletely dominant
  3. an ecologically important life form subordinate in influence to the dominants of a community

sub·duc·tion [(,)səb-'dək-shən] -n, vb

  1. the action or process in plate tectonics of the edge of one crustal plate descending below the edge of another

sub·due [səb-'dü, -'dyü] -vt, n

  1. to conquer and bring into subjection : vanquish
  2. to bring under control esp. by an exertion of the will : curb
    • subdued my foolish fears
  3. to bring (land) under cultivation
  4. to reduce the intensity or degree of : tone down

sub·dued [-'düd, -'dyüd] -adj, adv

  1. lacking in vitality, intensity, or strength
    • subdued colors

sub·dur·al [,səb-'du̇r-əl, -'dyu̇r-; 'səb-,] -adj

  1. situated or occurring beneath the dura mater or between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane
    • subdural space
    • subdural hematomas

sub·dwarf ['səb-,dwȯrf] -n

  1. a small hot star containing few elements heavier than helium and having lower luminosity than a main-sequence star of similar temperature

sub·ed·i·tor [-'e-də-tər] -n, vt, adj

  1. copy editor

sub·em·ployed [,səb-im-'plȯid] -adj

  1. underemployed

sub·em·ploy·ment [-'plȯi-mənt] -n

  1. a condition of inadequate employment in a labor force including unemployment and underemployment

sub·en·try ['səb-,en-trē] -n

  1. an entry (as in a catalog or an account) made under a more general entry

sub·epi·der·mal [,səb-,e-pə-'dər-məl] -adj

  1. lying beneath or constituting the innermost part of the epidermis

su·ber·in ['sü-bə-rən] -n

  1. a complex fatty substance found esp. in the cell walls of cork

su·ber·i·za·tion [,sü-bə-rə-'zā-shən] -n, adj

  1. conversion of the cell walls into corky tissue by infiltration with suberin

sub·fam·i·ly ['səb-,fam-lē, -,fa-mə-] -n

  1. a category in biological classification ranking below a family and above a genus
  2. a subgroup of languages within a language family

sub·field [-,fēld] -n

  1. a subset of a mathematical field that is itself a field
  2. a subdivision of a field (as of study)

sub·floor [-,flȯr] -n

  1. a rough floor laid as a base for a finished floor

sub·fos·sil [-,fä-səl] -adj, n

  1. of less than typical fossil age but partially fossilized
    • subfossil bones

sub·freez·ing [-'frē-ziŋ] -adj

  1. being or marked by temperature below the freezing point (as of water)
    • subfreezing weather

sub·fusc [(,)səb-'fəsk, 'səb-,] -adj

  1. drab, dusky

sub·ge·nus ['səb-,jē-nəs] -n

  1. a category in biological classification ranking below a genus and above a species

sub·gla·cial [,səb-'glā-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to the bottom of a glacier or the area immediately underlying a glacier

sub·grade ['səb-,grād] -n

  1. a surface of earth or rock leveled off to receive a foundation (as of a road)

sub·graph ['səb-,graf] -n

  1. a graph all of whose points and lines are contained in a larger graph

sub·group [-,grüp] -n

  1. a subordinate group whose members usu. share some common differential quality
  2. a subset of a mathematical group that is itself a group

sub·gum ['səb-'gəm] -n

  1. a dish of Chinese origin prepared with a mixture of vegetables (as peppers, water chestnuts, and mushrooms)

sub·head [-,hed] -n

  1. a heading of a subdivision (as in an outline)
  2. a subordinate caption, title, or headline

sub·head·ing [-,he-diŋ] -n

  1. subhead

sub·hu·man [,səb-'hyü-mən, -'yü-] -adj

  1. : less than human: as
  2. failing to attain the level (as of morality or intelligence) associated with normal human beings
  3. unsuitable to or unfit for human beings
    • subhuman living conditions
  4. of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans
    • the subhuman primates

subhuman -n

  1. a subhuman being

sub·in·dex [,səb-'in-,deks] -n

  1. an index to a division of a main classification

sub·in·feu·da·tion [,səb-,in-fyü-'dā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the subdivision of a feudal estate by a vassal who in turn becomes feudal lord over his tenants

sub·in·ter·val [,səb-'in-tər-vəl] -n

  1. an interval that is a subdivision or a subset of an interval

sub·ir·ri·ga·tion [-,ir-ə-'gā-shən] -n, vt

  1. irrigation below the surface (as by a periodic rise of the water table or by a system of underground porous pipes)

su·bi·to ['sü-bi-,tō] -adv

  1. immediately, suddenly used as a direction in music

subj -abbr

  1. subject

sub·ja·cen·cy [,səb-'jā-sᵊn(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being subjacent

sub·ja·cent [-sᵊnt] -adj, adv

  1. lying under or below
  2. lower than though not directly below
    • hills and subjacent valleys

sub·ject ['səb-jikt, -(,)jekt] -n, adj

  1. : one that is placed under authority or control: as
  2. vassal
  3. one subject to a monarch and governed by the monarch's law
  4. one who lives in the territory of, enjoys the protection of, and owes allegiance to a sovereign power or state
  5. that of which a quality, attribute, or relation may be affirmed or in which it may inhere
  6. substratum
  7. material or essential substance
  8. the mind, ego, or agent of whatever sort that sustains or assumes the form of thought or consciousness
  9. a department of knowledge or learning
  10. motive, cause
  11. one that is acted on
    • the helpless subject of their cruelty
  12. an individual whose reactions or responses are studied
  13. a dead body for anatomical study and dissection
  14. something concerning which something is said or done
    • the subject of the essay
  15. something represented or indicated in a work of art
  16. the term of a logical proposition that denotes the entity of which something is affirmed or denied
  17. the entity denoted
  18. a word or word group denoting that of which something is predicated
  19. the principal melodic phrase on which a musical composition or movement is based

subject -adj

  1. owing obedience or allegiance to the power or dominion of another
  2. suffering a particular liability or exposure
    • subject to temptation
  3. having a tendency or inclination : prone
    • subject to colds
  4. contingent on or under the influence of some later action
    • the plan is subject to discussion

sub·ject [səb-'jekt, 'səb-,jekt] -vt, n

  1. to bring under control or dominion : subjugate
  2. to make (as oneself) amenable to the discipline and control of a superior
  3. to make liable : predispose
  4. to cause or force to undergo or endure (something unpleasant, inconvenient, or trying)
    • was subject ed to constant verbal abuse

sub·jec·tive [(,)səb-'jek-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. : of, relating to, or constituting a subject: as
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of one that is a subject esp. in lack of freedom of action or in submissiveness
  3. being or relating to a grammatical subject
  4. nominative
  5. of or relating to the essential being of that which has substance, qualities, attributes, or relations
  6. characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind : phenomenal
  7. relating to or being experience or knowledge as conditioned by personal mental characteristics or states
  8. peculiar to a particular individual : personal
    • subjective judgments
  9. modified or affected by personal views, experience, or background
    • a subjective account of the incident
  10. arising from conditions within the brain or sense organs and not directly caused by external stimuli
    • subjective sensations
  11. arising out of or identified by means of one's perception of one's own states and processes
    • a subjective symptom of disease
  12. lacking in reality or substance : illusory

subjective -n

  1. something that is subjective
  2. nominative

subjective complement -n

  1. a grammatical complement relating to the subject of an intransitive verb (as sickin he had fallen sick)

sub·jec·tiv·ise [-ti-,vīz] -vt, n

(variant of subjectivize)

  1. to make subjective

sub·jec·tiv·ism [(,)səb-'jek-ti-,vi-zəm] -n, adj

  1. a theory that limits knowledge to subjective experience
  2. a theory that stresses the subjective elements in experience
  3. a doctrine that the supreme good is the realization of a subjective experience or feeling (as pleasure)
  4. a doctrine that individual feeling or apprehension is the ultimate criterion of the good and the right

sub·jec·tiv·ize [-ti-,vīz] -vt, n

  1. to make subjective

subject matter -n

  1. matter presented for consideration in discussion, thought, or study

sub·join [(,)səb-'jȯin] -vt

  1. annex, append
    • subjoin ed a statement of expenses to her report

sub ju·di·ce [,su̇b-'yü-di-,kā, 'səb-'jü-də-(,)sē] -adv

  1. before a judge or court : not yet judicially decided

sub·ju·gate ['səb-ji-,gāt] -vt, n

  1. to bring under control and governance as a subject : conquer
  2. to make submissive : subdue

sub·junc·tion [(,)səb-'jəŋ(k)-shən] -n

  1. an act of subjoining or the state of being subjoined
  2. something subjoined

sub·junc·tive [səb-'jən(k)-tiv] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents a denoted act or state not as fact but as contingent or possible or viewed emotionally (as with doubt or desire)
    • the subjunctive mood

subjunctive -n

  1. the subjunctive mood of a language
  2. a form of verb or verbal in the subjunctive mood

sub·king·dom ['səb-,kiŋ-dəm] -n

  1. a category in biological classification ranking below a kingdom and above a phylum

sub·late [,sə-'blāt] -vt, n

  1. negate, deny
  2. to negate or eliminate (as an element in a dialectic process) but preserve as a partial element in a synthesis

sub·lease ['səb-'lēs, -,lēs] -n

  1. a lease by a tenant or lessee of part or all of leased premises to another person but with the original tenant retaining some right or interest under the original lease

sublease -vt

  1. to make or obtain a sublease of

sub·let ['səb-'let] -vb

  1. sublease
  2. subcontract
  3. to lease or rent all or part of a leased or rented property
  4. property and esp. housing obtained by or available through a sublease

sub·le·thal [,səb-'lē-thəl] -adj, adv

  1. less than but usu. only slightly less than lethal
    • a sublethal dose

sub·lieu·ten·ant [,səb-lü-'te-nənt, Brit -le(f)-'ten-] -n

  1. a commissioned officer in the British navy ranking immediately below lieutenant

sub·li·mate ['sə-blə-,māt] -vt, n

  1. sublime
  2. to improve or refine as if by subliming
  3. to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable
  4. a chemical product obtained by sublimation

sub·lime [sə-'blīm] -vb, adj, n

  1. to cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state and condense back to solid form
  2. to elevate or exalt esp. in dignity or honor
  3. to render finer (as in purity or excellence)
  4. to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth
  5. to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state

sublime -adj, adv, n

  1. lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner
  2. of outstanding spiritual, intellectual, or moral worth
  3. tending to inspire awe usu. because of elevated quality (as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur) or transcendent excellence
  4. high in place
  5. lofty of mien : haughty
  6. supreme used in a style of address
  7. complete, utter
    • sublime ignorance

sub·lim·i·nal [(,)sə-'bli-mə-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. inadequate to produce a sensation or a perception
  2. existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness
    • the subliminal mind
    • subliminal advertising

sub·lim·i·ty [sə-'bli-mə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being sublime
  2. something sublime or exalted

sub·line ['səb-,līn] -n

  1. an inbred or selectively cultured line (as of cells) within a strain

sub·lin·gual [,səb-'liŋ-gwəl, -gyə-wəl] -adj

  1. situated or administered under the tongue
    • sublingual glands
    • sublingual tablets

sub·lit·er·ary [-'li-tə-,rer-ē] -adj

  1. relating to or being subliterature

sub·lit·er·a·ture [-'li-tə-rə-,chu̇r, -'li-trə-,chu̇r, -'li-tə(r)-,chu̇r, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r] -n

  1. popular writing (as mystery or adventure stories) considered inferior to standard literature

sub·lit·to·ral [-'li-tə-rəl; ,səb-,li-tə-'ral, -'räl] -adj

  1. situated, occurring, or formed on the aquatic side of a shoreline or littoral zone
  2. constituting the sublittoral

sublittoral -n

  1. the deeper part of the littoral portion of a body of water
  2. the region in an ocean between the lowest point exposed by a low tide and the margin of the continental shelf

sub·lu·na·ry [,səb-'lü-nə-rē, 'səb-lu̇-,ner-ē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the terrestrial world
    • dull sublunary lovers -- John Donne

sub·lux·a·tion [,sə-,blək-'sā-shən] -n

  1. partial dislocation (as of one of the bones in a joint)

sub·ma·chine gun [,səb-mə-'shēn-,gən] -n

  1. a portable automatic firearm that uses pistol-type ammunition and is fired from the shoulder or hip

sub·man·dib·u·lar [,səb-man-'di-byə-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, situated in, or performed in the region below the lower jaw
  2. of, relating to, or associated with the salivary glands inside of and near the lower edge of the mandible on each side

submandibular -n

  1. a submandibular part (as an artery or bone)

sub·mar·gin·al [,səb-'märj-nəl, -'mär-jə-nᵊl] -adj

  1. adjacent to a margin or a marginal part or structure
    • submarginal spots on an insect wing
  2. falling below a necessary minimum
    • submarginal economic conditions

sub·ma·rine ['səb-mə-,rēn, ,səb-mə-'] -adj

  1. underwater
  2. undersea
    • submarine plants
    • submarine minerals

submarine -n

  1. something that functions or operates underwater
  2. a naval vessel designed to operate underwater
  3. a large sandwich on a long split roll with any of a variety of fillings (as meatballs or cold cuts, cheese, lettuce, and tomato) called also grinder hero hoagie Italian sandwich po'boy sub torpedo
  4. to attack by or as if by a submarine : attack from beneath
  5. to dive or slide under something

sub·ma·ri·ner [,səb-mə-'rē-nər, -'ma-rə-nər] -n

  1. a member of a submarine crew

sub·max·il·lary [,səb-'mak-sə-,ler-ē, 'səb-, chiefly Brit ,səb-mak-'si-lə-rē] -adj or n

  1. submandibular

sub·me·di·ant [,səb-'mē-dē-ənt] -n

  1. the sixth tone of a major or minor scale

sub·merge [səb-'mərj] -vb, n, adj

  1. to put under water
  2. to cover or overflow with water
  3. to make obscure or subordinate : suppress
    • personal lives submerged by professional responsibilities
  4. to go under water

submerged -adj

  1. covered with water
  2. submersed
  3. sunk in poverty and misery
  4. hidden, suppressed
    • submerged emotions

sub·merse [səb-'mərs] -vt, n

  1. submerge

submersed -adj

  1. : submerged: as
  2. covered with water
  3. growing or adapted to grow underwater
    • submersed weeds

sub·mers·ible [səb-'mər-sə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being submerged

submersible -n

  1. something that is submersible
  2. a usu. small underwater craft used esp. for deep-sea research

sub·meta·cen·tric [,səb-,me-tə-'sen-trik] -adj, n

  1. having the centromere situated so that one chromosome arm is somewhat shorter than the other

sub·mi·cro·gram [,səb-'mī-krə-,gram] -adj

  1. relating to or having a mass of less than one microgram
    • submicrogram quantities of a chemical

sub·mi·cron [-,krän] -adj

  1. being less than a micron in a (specified) measurement and esp. in diameter
    • a submicron particle
  2. having or consisting of submicron particles
    • a submicron metal powder

sub·mi·cro·scop·ic [,səb-,mī-krə-'skä-pik] -adj, adv

  1. too small to be seen in an ordinary light microscope
  2. of, relating to, or dealing with the very minute
    • the submicroscopic world

sub·mil·li·me·ter [,səb-'mi-lə-,mē-tər] -adj

  1. being less than a millimeter in diameter or wavelength
    • a submillimeter particle
    • a submillimeter radio wave

sub·min·i·a·ture [,səb-'mi-nē-ə-,chu̇r, -'mi-ni-,chu̇r, -'min-yə-, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r] -adj

  1. very small used esp. of a very compact assembly of electronic equipment

sub·miss [səb-'mis] -adj

  1. submissive, humble

sub·mis·sion [səb-'mi-shən] -n

  1. a legal agreement to submit to the decision of arbitrators
  2. an act of submitting something (as for consideration or inspection)
  3. something submitted (as a manuscript)
  4. the condition of being submissive, humble, or compliant
  5. an act of submitting to the authority or control of another

sub·mis·sive [-'mi-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. submitting to others
    • submissive employees

sub·mit [səb-'mit] -vb, n

  1. to yield to governance or authority
  2. to subject to a condition, treatment, or operation
    • the metal was submitted to analysis
  3. to present or propose to another for review, consideration, or decision
  4. to deliver formally
    • submitted my resignation
  5. to put forward as an opinion or contention
    • we submit that the charge is not proved
  6. to yield oneself to the authority or will of another : surrender
  7. to permit oneself to be subjected to something
    • had to submit to surgery
  8. to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion or authority of another

sub·mi·to·chon·dri·al [,səb-,mī-tə-'kän-drē-əl] -adj

  1. relating to, composed of, or being parts and esp. fragments of mitochondria
    • submitochondrial membranes
    • submitochondrial particles

sub·mu·co·sa [,səb-myü-'kō-zə] -n, adj

  1. a supporting layer of loose connective tissue directly under a mucous membrane

sub·mul·ti·ple [-'məl-tə-pəl] -n

  1. an exact divisor of a number
    • 8 is a submultiple of 72

sub·mu·ni·tion [(,)səb-myü-'ni-shən] -n

  1. any of a group of smaller weapons carried as a warhead by a missile or projectile and expelled as the carrier approaches its target

sub·nor·mal [-'nȯr-məl] -adj, n, adv

  1. lower or smaller than normal
  2. having less of something and esp. of intelligence than is normal

sub·note·book ['səb-'nōt-,bu̇k] -n

  1. a portable microcomputer similar to but smaller and lighter than a notebook computer

sub·nu·cle·ar [,səb-'nü-klē-ər, -'nyü-, ÷-kyə-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a particle smaller than the atomic nucleus

sub·oce·an·ic [,səb-,ō-shē-'a-nik] -adj

  1. situated, taking place, or formed beneath the ocean or its bottom
    • suboceanic oil resources

sub·or·bit·al [,səb-'ȯr-bə-tᵊl] -adj

  1. situated beneath the eye or the orbit of the eye
  2. being or involving less than one orbit (as of the earth or moon)
  3. intended for suborbital flight

sub·or·der ['səb-,ȯr-dər] -n

  1. a subdivision of an order
    • a soil suborder
  2. a taxonomic category ranking between an order and a family

sub·or·di·nate [sə-'bȯr-də-nət, -'bȯrd-nət] -adj, adv, n

  1. placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or position : inferior
    • a subordinate officer
  2. submissive to or controlled by authority
  3. of, relating to, or constituting a clause that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
  4. subordinating

subordinate -n

  1. one that is subordinate

sub·or·di·nate [sə-'bȯr-də-,nāt] -vt, n, adj

  1. to make subject or subservient
  2. to treat as of less value or importance

subordinating -adj

  1. introducing and linking a subordinate clause to a main clause
    • subordinating conjunction

sub·or·di·na·tor [-,nā-tər] -n

  1. one that subordinates
  2. a subordinating conjunction

sub·orn [sə-'bȯrn] -vt, n

  1. to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing
  2. to induce to commit perjury
  3. to obtain (perjured testimony) from a witness

sub·phy·lum ['səb-,fī-ləm] -n

  1. a category in biological classification ranking below a phylum and above a class

sub·plot ['səb-,plät] -n

  1. a subordinate plot in fiction or drama
  2. a subdivision of an experimental plot of land

sub·poe·na [sə-'pē-nə, ÷-nē] -n

  1. a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure

subpoena -vt

  1. to serve or summon with a writ of subpoena

subpoena ad tes·ti·fi·can·dum [-,ad-,tes-tə-fi-'kan-dəm] -n

  1. a writ commanding a person to appear in court to testify as a witness

subpoena du·ces te·cum [-,dü-səs-'tē-kəm] -n

  1. a writ commanding a person to produce in court certain designated documents or evidence

sub·po·lar [,səb-'pō-lər] -adj

  1. subarctic
  2. subantarctic

sub·pop·u·la·tion ['səb-,pä-pyə-'lā-shən] -n

  1. an identifiable fraction or subdivision of a population

sub·po·tent [,səb-'pō-tᵊnt] -adj, n

  1. less potent than normal
    • subpotent drugs

sub·prime ['səb-,prīm] -adj

  1. having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended esp. to low-income borrowers
    • subprime mortgages
  2. extending or obtaining a subprime loan
    • subprime lenders
    • subprime borrowers

sub·prin·ci·pal [-'prin(t)-s(ə-)pəl, -sə-bəl] -n

  1. an assistant principal (as of a school)
  2. a secondary or bracing rafter

sub·prob·lem ['səb-,prä-bləm] -n

  1. a problem that is contingent on or forms a part of another more inclusive problem

sub·pro·fes·sion·al [,səb-prə-'fesh-nəl, -'fe-shə-nᵊl] -adj, n

  1. functioning or qualified to function below the professional level but distinctly above the clerical or labor level and usu. under the supervision of a professionally trained person

sub·pro·gram ['səb-,prō-,gram, -grəm] -n

  1. a semi-independent portion of a program (as for a computer)

sub·re·gion ['səb-,rē-jən] -n, adj

  1. a subdivision of a region
  2. one of the primary divisions of a biogeographic region

sub·rep·tion [(,)səb-'rep-shən] -n, adj, adv

  1. a deliberate misrepresentation
  2. an inference drawn from it

sub·ring ['səb-,riŋ] -n

  1. a subset of a mathematical ring which is itself a ring

sub·ro·gate ['sə-brō-,gāt] -vt

  1. to put in the place of another
  2. to substitute (as a second creditor) for another with regard to a legal right or claim

sub·ro·ga·tion [,sə-brō-'gā-shən] -n

  1. the act of subrogating
  2. the assumption by a third party (as a second creditor or an insurance company) of another's legal right to collect a debt or damages

subrosa -adj

  1. secretive, private

sub ro·sa [,səb-'rō-zə] -adv

  1. in confidence : secretly

sub·rou·tine ['səb-(,)rü-,tēn] -n

  1. a subordinate routine
  2. a sequence of computer instructions for performing a specified task that can be used repeatedly

subSa·ha·ran [,səb-sə-'her-ən, -'här-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being the part of Africa south of the Sahara

sub·sam·ple ['səb-,sam-pəl, ,səb-'sam-] -vt

  1. to draw samples from (a previously selected group or population) : sample a sample of

subsample -n

  1. a sample or specimen obtained by subsampling

sub·sat·el·lite [,səb-'sa-tə-,līt] -n

  1. an object carried into orbit in and subsequently released from a satellite or spacecraft

sub·scribe [səb-'skrīb] -vb, n

  1. to write (one's name) underneath : sign
  2. to sign (as a document) with one's own hand in token of consent or obligation
  3. to attest by signing
  4. to pledge (a gift or contribution) by writing one's name with the amount
  5. to assent to : support
  6. to sign one's name to a document
  7. to give consent or approval to something written by signing
    • unwilling to subscribe to the agreement
  8. to set one's name to a paper in token of promise to give something (as a sum of money)
  9. to give something in accordance with such a promise
  10. to enter one's name for a publication or service
  11. to receive a periodical or service regularly on order
    • subscribed to many magazines
  12. to agree to purchase and pay for securities esp. of a new offering
    • subscribed for 1000 shares
  13. to feel favorably disposed
    • I subscribe to your sentiments

sub·script ['səb-,skript] -n, adj

  1. a distinguishing symbol (as a letter or numeral) written immediately below or below and to the right or left of another character

sub·scrip·tion [səb-'skrip-shən] -n

  1. the act of signing one's name (as in attesting or witnessing a document)
  2. the acceptance (as of ecclesiastical articles of faith) attested by the signing of one's name
  3. : something that is subscribed: as
  4. an autograph signature
  5. a paper to which a signature is attached
  6. a sum subscribed or pledged
  7. : an arrangement for providing, receiving, or making use of something of a continuing or periodic nature on a prepayment plan: as
  8. a purchase by prepayment for a certain number of issues (as of a periodical)
  9. application to purchase securities of a new issue
  10. a method of offering or presenting a series of public performances
  11. membership dues

subscription TV -n

  1. pay-TV that broadcasts programs directly over the air to customers provided with a special receiver called also subscription television

sub·sec·tion ['səb-,sek-shən] -n

  1. a subdivision or a subordinate division of a section
  2. a subordinate part or branch

sub·se·quence ['səb-sə-,kwen(t)s, -si-kwən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being subsequent
  2. a subsequent event
  3. a mathematical sequence that is part of another sequence

sub·se·quent ['səb-si-kwənt, -sə-,kwent] -adj, n, adv

  1. following in time, order, or place
    • subsequent events
    • a subsequent clause in the treaty

subsequent to -prep

  1. at a time later or more recent than : since
    • subsequent to our discussion

sub·serve [(,)səb-'sərv] -vt

  1. to promote the welfare or purposes of
  2. to serve as an instrument or means in carrying out

sub·ser·vi·ence [səb-'sər-vē-ən(t)s] -n

  1. a subservient or subordinate place or function
  2. obsequious servility

sub·ser·vi·en·cy [-ən(t)-sē] -n

  1. subservience

sub·ser·vi·ent [-ənt] -adj, adv

  1. useful in an inferior capacity : subordinate
  2. serving to promote some end
  3. obsequiously submissive : truckling

sub·set ['səb-,set] -n

  1. a set each of whose elements is an element of an inclusive set
  2. division, portion
    • a subset of our community

sub·shrub [-,shrəb, esp Southern -,srəb] -n

  1. a perennial plant having woody stems except for the terminal part of the new growth which is killed back annually
  2. a low shrub

sub·side [səb-'sīd] -vi, n

  1. to sink or fall to the bottom : settle
  2. to tend downward : descend
  3. to flatten out so as to form a depression
  4. to let oneself settle down : sink
    • subsided into a chair
  5. to become quiet or less
    • as the fever subside s
    • my anger subsided

sub·sid·i·ar·i·ty [,səb-si-dē-'er-ə-tē, səb-,si-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being subsidiary
  2. : a principle in social organization: functions which subordinate or local organizations perform effectively belong more properly to them than to a dominant central organization

sub·sid·i·ary [səb-'si-dē-,er-ē, -'si-də-rē] -adj, adv

  1. furnishing aid or support : auxiliary
    • subsidiary details
  2. of secondary importance
    • a subsidiary stream
  3. of, relating to, or constituting a subsidy
    • a subsidiary payment to an ally

subsidiary -n

  1. one that is subsidiary
  2. a company wholly controlled by another

sub·si·dise ['səb-sə-,dīz, -zə-] -vt, n

(variant of subsidize)

  1. : to furnish with a subsidy: as
  2. to purchase the assistance of by payment of a subsidy
  3. to aid or promote (as a private enterprise) with public money
    • subsidize soybean farmers
    • subsidize public transportation

sub·si·dize ['səb-sə-,dīz, -zə-] -vt, n

  1. : to furnish with a subsidy: as
  2. to purchase the assistance of by payment of a subsidy
  3. to aid or promote (as a private enterprise) with public money
    • subsidize soybean farmers
    • subsidize public transportation

sub·si·dy ['səb-sə-dē, -zə-] -n

  1. : a grant or gift of money: as
  2. a sum of money formerly granted by the British Parliament to the crown and raised by special taxation
  3. money granted by one state to another
  4. a grant by a government to a private person or company to assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public

sub·sist [səb-'sist] -vb

  1. to have existence : be
  2. persist, continue
  3. to have or acquire the necessities of life (as food and clothing)
  4. to nourish oneself
    • subsist ing on roots, berries and grubs
  5. to hold true
  6. to be logically conceivable as the subject of true statements
  7. to support with provisions

sub·sis·tence [səb-'sis-tən(t)s] -n, adj

  1. real being : existence
  2. the condition of remaining in existence : continuation, persistence
  3. an essential characteristic quality of something that exists
  4. the character possessed by whatever is logically conceivable
  5. : means of subsisting: as
  6. the minimum (as of food and shelter) necessary to support life
  7. a source or means of obtaining the necessities of life

subsistence farming -n

  1. farming or a system of farming that provides all or almost all the goods required by the farm family usu. without any significant surplus for sale
  2. farming or a system of farming that produces a minimum and often inadequate return to the farmer called also subsistence agriculture

sub·so·cial [,səb-'sō-shəl] -adj

  1. incompletely social
  2. tending to associate gregariously but lacking fixed or complex social organization
    • subsocial insects

sub·soil ['səb-,sȯi(-ə)l] -n

  1. the stratum of weathered material that underlies the surface soil

subsoil -vt, n

  1. to turn, break, or stir the subsoil of

sub·so·lar point [,səb-'sō-lər-] -n

  1. the point on the surface of the earth or a planet at which the sun is at the zenith

sub·son·ic [,səb-'sä-nik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or being a speed less than that of sound in air
  2. moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents moving at a subsonic speed
  3. infrasonic

sub·space ['səb-,spās] -n

  1. a subset of a space
  2. one that has the essential properties (as those of a vector space or topological space) of the including space

sub spe·cie ae·ter·ni·ta·tis [su̇b-'spe-kē-,ā-,ī-,ter-nə-'tä-təs] -adv

  1. in its essential or universal form or nature

sub·spe·cies ['səb-,spē-shēz, -sēz] -n, adj

  1. : a subdivision of a species: as
  2. a category in biological classification that ranks immediately below a species and designates a population of a particular geographic region genetically distinguishable from other such populations of the same species and capable of interbreeding successfully with them where its range overlaps theirs
  3. a named subdivision (as a race or variety) of a taxonomic species
  4. subgroup
    • a political subspecies

sub·stage ['səb-,stāj] -n

  1. an attachment to a microscope by means of which accessories (as mirrors, diaphragms, or condensers) are held in place beneath the stage of the instrument

sub·stance ['səb-stən(t)s] -n, adj

  1. essential nature : essence
  2. a fundamental or characteristic part or quality
  3. god
  4. ultimate reality that underlies all outward manifestations and change
  5. practical importance : meaning, usefulness
    • the...bill-which will be without substance in the sense that it will authorize nothing more than a set of ideas -- Richard Reeves
  6. physical material from which something is made or which has discrete existence
  7. matter of particular or definite chemical constitution
  8. something (as drugs or alcoholic beverages) deemed harmful and usu. subject to legal restriction
    • possession of a controlled substance
    • substance abuse
  9. material possessions : property
    • a family of substance

substance P -n

  1. a neuropeptide that consists of 11 amino acid residues, that is present in the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, that causes the contraction of smooth muscle and dilation of blood vessels, and that acts as a potent neurotransmitter esp. in the transmission of signals from pain receptors

sub·stan·dard [,səb-'stan-dərd] -adj

  1. : deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: as
  2. of a quality lower than that prescribed by law
    • substandard housing
  3. conforming to a pattern of linguistic usage existing within a speech community but not that of the prestige group in that community
  4. constituting a greater than normal risk to an insurer

sub·stan·tial [səb-'stan(t)-shəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. consisting of or relating to substance
  2. not imaginary or illusory : real, true
  3. important, essential
  4. ample to satisfy and nourish : full
    • a substantial meal
  5. possessed of means : well-to-do
  6. considerable in quantity : significantly great
    • earned a substantial wage
  7. firmly constructed : sturdy
    • a substantial house
  8. being largely but not wholly that which is specified
    • a substantial lie

sub·stan·tia ni·gra [səb-,stan(t)-shē-ə-'nī-grə, -'ni-] -n

  1. a layer of deeply pigmented gray matter situated in the midbrain and containing the cell bodies of a tract of dopamine-producing nerve cells whose secretion tends to be deficient in Parkinson's disease

sub·stan·ti·ate [səb-'stan(t)-shē-,āt] -vt, n, adj

  1. to give substance or form to : embody
  2. to establish by proof or competent evidence : verify
    • substantiate a charge

sub·stan·ti·val [,səb-stən-'tī-vəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or serving as a substantive

sub·stan·tive ['səb-stən-tiv] -n, vt

  1. noun
  2. a word or word group functioning syntactically as a noun
  3. being a totally independent entity
  4. real rather than apparent : firm
    • need substantive evidence to prove her guilt
  5. permanent, enduring
  6. belonging to the substance of a thing : essential
  7. expressing existence
    • the substantive verb is the verb to be
  8. requiring or involving no mordant
    • a substantive dyeing process
  9. having the nature or function of a grammatical substantive
    • a substantive phrase
  10. relating to or having the character of a noun or pronominal term in logic
  11. considerable in amount or numbers : substantial
    • made substantive progress
  12. creating and defining rights and duties
    • substantive law
  13. having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned
    • substantive discussions among world leaders

substantive due process -n

  1. due process

substantive right -n

  1. a right (as of life, liberty, property, or reputation) held to exist for its own sake and to constitute part of the normal legal order of society

sub·sta·tion ['səb-,stā-shən] -n

  1. : a subordinate or subsidiary station: as
  2. a branch post office
  3. a subsidiary station in which electric current is transformed
  4. a police station serving a particular area

sub·stit·u·ent [səb-'sti-chə-wənt, -'stich-wənt] -n, adj

  1. an atom or group that replaces another atom or group in a molecule

sub·sti·tut·able ['səb-stə-,tü-tə-bəl, -'tyü-] -adj, n

  1. capable of being substituted

sub·sti·tute ['səb-stə-,tüt, -,tyüt] -n, adj

  1. a person or thing that takes the place or function of another

substitute -vb

  1. to put or use in the place of another
  2. to introduce (an atom or group) as a substituent
  3. to alter (as a compound) by introduction of a substituent
    • a substituted benzene ring
  4. to take the place of : replace
  5. to serve as a substitute

sub·sti·tu·tion [,səb-stə-'tü-shən, -'tyü-] -n, adj, adv

  1. the act, process, or result of substituting one thing for another
  2. replacement of one mathematical entity by another of equal value
  3. one that is substituted for another

substitution cipher -n

  1. a cipher in which the letters of the plaintext are systematically replaced by substitute letters

sub·sti·tu·tive ['səb-stə-,tü-tiv, -,tyü-] -adj, adv

  1. serving or suitable as a substitute

sub·strate ['səb-,strāt] -n

  1. substratum
  2. the base on which an organism lives
    • the soil is the substrate of most seed plants
  3. a substance acted upon (as by an enzyme)

sub·stra·tum ['səb-,strā-təm, -,stra-, ,səb-'] -n

  1. : an underlying support : foundation: as
  2. substance that is a permanent subject of qualities or phenomena
  3. the material of which something is made and from which it derives its special qualities
  4. a layer beneath the surface soil
  5. subsoil
  6. substrate

sub·struc·ture ['səb-,strək-chər] -n, adj

  1. an underlying or supporting part of a structure

sub·sume [səb-'süm] -vt, adj

  1. to include or place within something larger or more comprehensive : encompass as a subordinate or component element
    • red, green, and yellow are subsumed under the term color

sub·sump·tion [səb-'səm(p)-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of subsuming

sub·sur·face ['səb-,sər-fəs] -n

  1. earth material (as rock) near but not exposed at the surface of the ground
  2. of, relating to, or being something located beneath a surface and esp. underground

sub·teen ['səb-'tēn] -n

  1. a preadolescent child

sub·tem·per·ate [,səb-'tem-p(ə-)rət] -adj

  1. of or occurring in the colder parts of the temperate zones

sub·ten·an·cy [-'te-nən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the state of being a subtenant

sub·ten·ant [-'te-nənt] -n

  1. one who rents from a tenant

sub·tend [səb-'tend] -vt

  1. to be opposite to and extend from one side to the other of
    • a hypotenuse subtend s a right angle
  2. to fix the angular extent of with respect to a fixed point or object taken as the vertex
    • a central angle subtend ed by an arc
    • the angle subtend ed at the eye by an object of given width and a fixed distance away
  3. to determine the measure of by marking off the endpoints of
    • a chord subtend s an arc
  4. to underlie so as to include
  5. to occupy an adjacent and usu. lower position to and often so as to embrace or enclose
    • a bract that subtend s a flower

sub·ter·fuge ['səb-tər-,fyüj] -n

  1. deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade
  2. a deceptive device or stratagem

sub·ter·mi·nal [,səb-'tərm-nəl, -'tər-mə-nᵊl] -adj

  1. situated or occurring near but not precisely at an end
    • subterminal spots on tail feathers

sub·ter·ra·nean [,səb-tə-'rā-nē-ən, -nyən] -adj, adv

  1. being, lying, or operating under the surface of the earth
  2. existing or working in secret : hidden
    • a subterranean network of criminals

sub·text ['səb-,tekst] -n, adj, adv

  1. the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text)

sub·thresh·old [,səb-'thre-,shōld, -'thresh-,hōld] -adj

  1. inadequate to produce a response
    • subthreshold dosage
    • a subthreshold stimulus

sub·tile ['sə-tᵊl, 'səb-tᵊl] -adj, adv, n

  1. subtle, elusive
    • a subtile aroma
  2. cunning, crafty
  3. sagacious, discerning

sub·til·i·sin [,səb-'ti-lə-sən] -n

  1. a protease secreted by a soil bacillus ( Bacillus amyloliquefaciens)

sub·til·ize ['sə-tᵊl-,īz, 'səb-tə-,līz] -vb, n

  1. to act or think subtly
  2. to make subtile

sub·til·ty ['sə-tᵊl-tē, 'səb-tᵊl-] -n

  1. subtlety

sub·ti·tle ['səb-,tī-tᵊl] -n

  1. a secondary or explanatory title
  2. a printed statement or fragment of dialogue appearing on the screen between the scenes of a silent motion picture or appearing as a translation at the bottom of the screen during the scenes of a motion picture or television show in a foreign language

subtitle -vt

  1. to give a subtitle to

sub·tle ['sə-tᵊl] -adj, n, adv

  1. delicate, elusive
    • a subtle fragrance
  2. difficult to understand or perceive : obscure
    • subtle differences in sound
  3. perceptive, refined
    • a writer's sharp and subtle moral sense
  4. having or marked by keen insight and ability to penetrate deeply and thoroughly
    • a subtle scholar
  5. highly skillful : expert
    • a subtle craftsman
  6. cunningly made or contrived : ingenious
  7. artful, crafty
    • a subtle rogue
  8. operating insidiously
    • subtle poisons

sub·tle·ty ['sə-tᵊl-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being subtle
  2. something subtle

sub·ton·ic [,səb-'tä-nik] -n

  1. leading tone

sub·to·tal ['səb-,tō-tᵊl] -n

  1. the sum of part of a series of figures
  2. somewhat less than complete : nearly total
    • subtotal thyroidectomy

sub·tract [səb-'trakt] -vb, n

  1. to take away by or as if by deducting
    • subtract 5 from 9
    • subtract funds from the project
  2. to perform a subtraction

sub·trac·tion [səb-'trak-shən] -n

  1. : an act, operation, or instance of subtracting: as
  2. the withdrawing or withholding of a right to which an individual is entitled
  3. the operation of deducting one number from another

sub·trac·tive [-'trak-tiv] -adj

  1. tending to subtract
  2. constituting or involving subtraction

sub·tra·hend ['səb-trə-,hend] -n

  1. a number that is to be subtracted from a minuend

sub·trop·i·cal [,səb-'trä-pi-kəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being the regions bordering on the tropical zone
    • subtropical environment
    • subtropical grasses

sub·trop·ics [-piks] -n pl

  1. subtropical regions

su·bu·late ['sü-byə-lət, 'sə-, -,lāt] -adj

  1. linear and tapering to a fine point
    • a subulate leaf

sub·um·brel·la [,səb-(,)əm-'bre-lə] -n

  1. the concave undersurface of a jellyfish

sub·urb ['sə-,bərb] -n, adj or n

  1. an outlying part of a city or town
  2. a smaller community adjacent to or within commuting distance of a city
  3. the residential area on the outskirts of a city or large town
  4. the near vicinity : environs

sub·ur·ban·ise [sə-'bər-bə-,nīz] -vt, n

(variant of suburbanize)

  1. to make suburban : give a suburban character to

sub·ur·ban·ize [sə-'bər-bə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to make suburban : give a suburban character to

sub·ur·bia [sə-'bər-bē-ə] -n

  1. the suburbs of a city
  2. people who live in the suburbs
  3. suburban life

sub·ven·tion [səb-'ven(t)-shən] -n, adj

  1. : the provision of assistance or financial support: as
  2. endowment
  3. a subsidy from a government or foundation

sub·ver·sion [səb-'vər-zhən, -shən] -n, adj, adj or n, adv

  1. the act of subverting : the state of being subverted
  2. a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from within
  3. a cause of overthrow or destruction

sub·vert [səb-'vərt] -vt, n

  1. to overturn or overthrow from the foundation : ruin
  2. to pervert or corrupt by an undermining of morals, allegiance, or faith

sub·vi·ral [,səb-'vī-rəl] -adj

  1. relating to, being, or caused by a piece or a structural part (as a protein) of a virus
    • subviral infection

sub·vo·cal [-'vō-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. characterized by the occurrence in the mind of words in speech order with or without inaudible articulation of the speech organs

sub·vo·cal·i·za·tion [,səb-,vō-kə-lə-'zā-shən] -n, vb

  1. the act or process of inaudibly articulating speech with the speech organs

sub·way ['səb-,wā] -n, vi

  1. : an underground way: as
  2. a passage under a street (as for pedestrians, power cables, or water or gas mains)
  3. a usu. electric underground railway
  4. underpass

sub·woof·er ['səb-'wu̇-fər] -n

  1. a loudspeaker responsive only to the lowest acoustic frequencies

suc·ce·da·ne·um [,sək-sə-'dā-nē-əm] -n, adj

  1. substitute

suc·ce·dent [sək-'sē-dᵊnt] -adj

  1. coming next : succeeding, subsequent

suc·ceed [sək-'sēd] -vb, n

  1. to come next after another in office or position or in possession of an estate
  2. to inherit sovereignty, rank, or title
  3. to follow after another in order
  4. to turn out well
  5. to attain a desired object or end
    • students who succeed in college
  6. to pass to a person by inheritance
  7. to follow in sequence and esp. immediately
  8. to come after as heir or successor

suc·ces de scan·dale [sək-,sā-də-skäⁿ-'däl, (,)sük-] -n

  1. something (as a work of art) that wins popularity or notoriety because of its scandalous nature
  2. the reception accorded such a piece

succes d'es·time [-,des-'tēm] -n

  1. something (as a work of art) that wins critical respect but not popular success
  2. the reception accorded such a piece

succes fou [-'fü] -n

  1. an extraordinary success

suc·cess [sək-'ses] -n

  1. outcome, result
  2. degree or measure of succeeding
  3. favorable or desired outcome
  4. the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
  5. one that succeeds

suc·cess·ful [-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. resulting or terminating in success
    • a successful attempt
  2. gaining or having gained success
    • a successful investor

suc·ces·sion [sək-'se-shən] -n, adj, adv

  1. the order in which or the conditions under which one person after another succeeds to a property, dignity, title, or throne
  2. the right of a person or line to succeed
  3. the line having such a right
  4. the act or process of following in order : sequence
  5. the act or process of one person's taking the place of another in the enjoyment of or liability for rights or duties or both
  6. the act or process of a person's becoming beneficially entitled to a property or property interest of a deceased person
  7. the continuance of corporate personality
  8. unidirectional change in the composition of an ecosystem as the available competing organisms and esp. the plants respond to and modify the environment
  9. a number of persons or things that follow each other in sequence
  10. a group, type, or series that succeeds or displaces another

succession duty -n

  1. inheritance tax

suc·ces·sive [sək-'se-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. following in order : following each other without interruption
    • their fourth successive victory
  2. characterized by or produced in succession

suc·ces·sor [sək-'se-sər] -n

  1. one that follows
  2. one who succeeds to a throne, title, estate, or office

suc·ci·nate ['sək-sə-,nāt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of succinic acid

succinate dehydrogenase -n

  1. an iron-containing flavoprotein enzyme that catalyzes often reversibly the dehydrogenation of succinic acid to fumaric acid in the Krebs cycle and that is widely distributed esp. in animal tissues, bacteria, and yeast called also succinic dehydrogenase

suc·cinct [(,)sək-'siŋ(k)t, sə-'siŋ(k)t] -adj, adv, n

  1. being girded
  2. close-fitting
  3. marked by compact precise expression without wasted words
    • a succinct description

suc·cin·ic acid [(,)sək-'si-nik-] -n

  1. a crystalline dicarboxylic acid C 4H 6O 4found widely in nature and active in energy-yielding metabolic reactions

suc·ci·nyl ['sək-sə-nᵊl, -,nil] -n

  1. : either of two radicals derived from succinic acid by removal of one or both hydroxyl groups:
  2. a divalent radical OCCH 2CH 2CO
  3. a monovalent radical HOOCCH 2CH 2CO

suc·ci·nyl·cho·line [,sək-sə-nᵊl-'kō-,lēn, -,nil-] -n

  1. a basic compound that is used intravenously chiefly in the form of a hydrated chloride C 14H 30Cl 2N 2O 42H 2O as a muscle relaxant in surgery

suc·cor ['sə-kər] -n

  1. relief
  2. aid, help
  3. something that furnishes relief

succor ['sə-k(ə-)riŋ] -vt, n

  1. to go to the aid of : relieve

suc·co·ry ['sə-k(ə-)rē] -n

  1. chicory

suc·co·tash ['sə-kə-,tash] -n

  1. lima or shell beans and kernels of green corn cooked together

suc·cour ['sə-kər] -n

(variant of succor)

  1. relief
  2. aid, help
  3. something that furnishes relief

suc·cu·ba ['sə-kyə-bə] -n

  1. succubus

suc·cu·bus [-bəs] -n

  1. a demon assuming female form to have sexual intercourse with men in their sleep

suc·cu·lence ['sə-kyə-lən(t)s] -n

  1. the state of being succulent
  2. succulent feed
    • wild game subsisting on succulence

suc·cu·lent [-lənt] -adj, adv

  1. full of juice : juicy
  2. moist and tasty : toothsome
    • a succulent meal
  3. having fleshy tissues that conserve moisture
  4. rich in interest

succulent -n

  1. a succulent plant (as a cactus or an aloe)

suc·cumb [sə-'kəm] -vi

  1. to yield to superior strength or force or overpowering appeal or desire
    • succumb to temptation
  2. to be brought to an end (as death) by the effect of destructive or disruptive forces

such ['səch, 'sich] -adj

  1. of a kind or character to be indicated or suggested
    • a bag such as a doctor carries
  2. having a quality to a degree to be indicated
    • his excitement was such that he shouted
  3. of the character, quality, or extent previously indicated or implied
    • in the past few years many such women have shifted to full-time jobs
  4. of so extreme a degree or quality
    • never heard such a hubbub
  5. of the same class, type, or sort
    • other such clinics throughout the state
  6. not specified
  7. such a person or thing
  8. someone or something stated, implied, or exemplified
    • such was the result
  9. someone or something similar : similar persons or things
    • tin and glass and such
  10. to such a degree : so
    • such tall buildings
    • such a fine person
  11. very, especially
    • hasn't been in such good spirits lately
  12. in such a way
    • related such that each excludes the other

such and such -adj

  1. not named or specified
  2. something not specified

such·like ['səch-,līk] -adj

  1. of like kind : similar

suchlike -pron

  1. such

suck ['sək] -vb

  1. to draw (as liquid) into the mouth through a suction force produced by movements of the lips and tongue
    • suck ed milk from his mother's breast
  2. to draw something from or consume by such movements
    • suck an orange
    • suck a lollipop
  3. to apply the mouth to in order to or as if to suck out a liquid
    • suck ed his burned finger
  4. to draw by or as if by suction
    • when a receding wave suck s the sand from under your feet -- Kenneth Brower
    • inadvertently suck ed into the...intrigue -- Martin Levin
  5. to take in and consume by or as if by suction
    • a vacuum cleaner suck ing up dirt
    • suck up a few beers
    • opponents say that malls suck the life out of downtown areas -- Michael Knight
  6. to draw something in by or as if by exerting a suction force
  7. to draw milk from a breast or udder with the mouth
  8. to make a sound or motion associated with or caused by suction
    • his pipe suck ed wetly
    • flanks suck ed in and out, the long nose resting on his paws -- Virginia Woolf
  9. to act in an obsequious manner
    • when they want votes...the candidates come suck ing around -- W. G. Hardy
    usu. used with up
    • suck ed up to the boss
  10. to be objectionable or inadequate
    • our lifestyle suck s -- Playboy
    • people who went said it suck ed -- H. S. Thompson
  11. a sucking movement or force
  12. the act of sucking

suck·er ['sə-kər] -n

  1. one that sucks esp. a breast or udder : suckling
  2. a device for creating or regulating suction (as a piston or valve in a pump)
  3. a pipe or tube through which something is drawn by suction
  4. an organ in various animals for adhering or holding
  5. a mouth (as of a leech) adapted for sucking or adhering
  6. a shoot from the roots or lower part of the stem of a plant
  7. any of numerous chiefly No. American freshwater bony fishes (family Catostomidae) closely related to the carps but distinguished from them esp. by the structure of the mouth which usu. has thick soft lips
  8. lollipop
  9. a person easily cheated or deceived
  10. a person irresistibly attracted by something specified
    • a sucker for ghost stories
  11. used as a generalized term of reference
    • see if you can get that sucker working again

sucker ['sə-k(ə-)riŋ] -vb

  1. to remove suckers from
    • sucker tobacco
  2. hoodwink
  3. to send out suckers
    • corn sucker s abundantly

sucker punch -vt, n

  1. to punch (a person) suddenly without warning and often without apparent provocation

suck in -vt

  1. dupe, hoodwink
  2. to contract, flatten, and tighten (the abdomen) esp. by inhaling deeply

suck·ing ['sə-kiŋ] -adj

  1. not yet weaned
  2. very young

sucking louse -n

  1. any of an order (Anoplura) of wingless insects comprising the true lice with mouthparts adapted to sucking body fluids

suck·le ['sə-kəl] -vb

  1. to give milk to from the breast or udder
    • a mother suckling her child
  2. to nurture as if by giving milk from the breast
    • was suckled on pulp magazines
  3. to draw milk from the breast or udder of
    • lambs suckling the ewes
  4. to draw milk from the breast or udder

suck·ling ['sə-kliŋ] -n

  1. a young unweaned animal

suckup ['sək-,əp] -n

  1. a person who is ingratiating or fawning
    • a suckup to the teacher

sucky ['sə-kē] -adj

  1. awful

su·cra·lose ['sü-krə-,lōs] -n

  1. a white crystalline powder C 12H 19Cl 3O 3that is derived from sucrose and is used as a low-calorie sweetener having a sweetness of much greater intensity than sucrose

su·crase ['sü-,krās, -,krāz] -n

  1. invertase

su·cre ['sü-(,)krā] -n

  1. the basic monetary unit of Ecuador until 2000

su·crose ['sü-,krōs, -,krōz] -n

  1. a sweet crystalline dextrorotatory disaccharide sugar C 12H 22O 11that occurs naturally in most plants and is obtained commercially esp. from sugarcane or sugar beets

suc·tion ['sək-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act or process of sucking
  2. the act or process of exerting a force upon a solid, liquid, or gaseous body by reason of reduced air pressure over part of its surface
  3. force so exerted
  4. a device (as a pipe or fitting) used in a machine that operates by suction

suction -vt

  1. to remove (as from a body cavity or passage) by suction

suction cup -n

  1. a cup-shaped device in which a partial vacuum can be produced when applied to a surface

suction pump -n

  1. a common pump in which the liquid to be raised is pushed by atmospheric pressure into the partial vacuum under a retreating valved piston on the upstroke and reflux is prevented by a check valve in the pipe

suction stop -n

  1. a voice stop in the formation of which air behind the articulation is rarefied with consequent inrush of air when articulation is broken

suc·to·ri·al [,sək-'tȯr-ē-əl] -adj

  1. adapted for sucking
  2. serving to draw up fluid or to adhere by suction
    • suctorial mouths

suc·to·ri·an [-ē-ən] -n

  1. any of a class or subclass (Suctoria) of complex protozoans which are ciliated only early in development and in which the mature form is fixed to the substrate, lacks locomotor organelles or a mouth, and obtains food through specialized suctorial tentacles

Su·dan grass [sü-'dan-, -'dän-] -n

  1. a vigorous tall-growing annual sorghum grass ( Sorghum sudanensesyn. S. vulgare sudanense) widely grown for hay and fodder

su·da·to·ri·um [,sü-də-'tȯr-ē-əm] -n

  1. a sweat room in a bath

su·da·to·ry ['sü-də-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. sudatorium

sudd ['səd] -n

  1. floating vegetable matter that forms obstructive masses esp. in the upper White Nile

sud·den ['sə-dᵊn] -adj, adv, n

  1. happening or coming unexpectedly
    • a sudden shower
  2. changing angle or character all at once
    • a sudden drop in the ocean bottom
  3. marked by or manifesting abruptness or haste
    • a sudden departure
  4. made or brought about in a short time : prompt

sudden -n

  1. an unexpected occurrence : emergency

sudden death -n

  1. unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes from any cause other than violence
    • sudden death following coronary occlusion
  2. extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

sudden infant death syndrome -n

  1. death of an apparently healthy infant usu. before one year of age that is of unknown cause and occurs esp. during sleep abbr. SIDS called also crib death

su·do·ku [sü-'dō-kü] -n

  1. a puzzle in which several numbers are to be filled into a 9x9 grid of squares so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9

su·do·rif·er·ous [,sü-də-'ri-f(ə-)rəs] -adj

  1. producing or conveying sweat
    • sudoriferous glands
    • a sudoriferous duct

su·do·rif·ic [-'ri-fik] -adj, n

  1. causing or inducing sweat : diaphoretic
    • sudorific herbs

Su·dra ['sü-drə, 'shü-] -n, adj

  1. a Hindu of a lower caste traditionally assigned to menial occupations

suds ['sədz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr, adj

  1. water impregnated with soap or a synthetic detergent compound and worked up into froth
  2. the lather or froth on such water
  3. foam, froth
  4. beer
  5. to wash in suds
  6. to form suds

suds·er ['səd-zər] -n

  1. soap opera

sudsy ['səd-zē] -adj

  1. full of suds : frothy, foamy
  2. soapy

sue ['sü] -vb, n

  1. to make petition to or for
  2. to pay court or suit to : woo
  3. to seek justice or right from (a person) by legal process
  4. to bring an action against
  5. to proceed with and follow up (a legal action) to proper termination
  6. to make a request or application : plead usu. used with for or to
    • sue for peace
  7. to pay court : woo
    • he loved...but sued in vain -- William Wordsworth
  8. to take legal proceedings in court

suede ['swād] -n

  1. leather with a napped surface
  2. a fabric finished with a nap to simulate suede
  3. to give a suede finish or nap to (a fabric or leather)
  4. to give cloth or leather a suede finish

su·et ['sü-ət] -n

  1. the hard fat about the kidneys and loins in beef and mutton that yields tallow

suf·fer ['sə-fər] -vb, adj, n, adv

  1. to submit to or be forced to endure
    • suffer martyrdom
  2. to feel keenly : labor under
    • suffer thirst
  3. undergo, experience
  4. to put up with esp. as inevitable or unavoidable
  5. to allow esp. by reason of indifference
    • the eagle suffer s little birds to sing -- Shak.
  6. to endure death, pain, or distress
  7. to sustain loss or damage
  8. to be subject to disability or handicap

suf·fer·ance ['sə-f(ə-)rən(t)s] -n

  1. patient endurance
  2. pain, misery
  3. consent or sanction implied by a lack of interference or failure to enforce a prohibition
  4. endurance

suffering -n

  1. the state or experience of one that suffers
  2. pain

suf·fice [sə-'fīs also -'fīz] -vb, n

  1. to meet or satisfy a need : be sufficient
    • a brief note will suffice
    often used with an impersonal it
    • suffice it to say that they are dedicated, serious personalities -- Cheryl Aldridge
  2. to be competent or capable
  3. to be enough for
    • a few more should suffice them

suf·fi·cien·cy [sə-'fi-shən(t)-sē] -n

  1. sufficient means to meet one's needs : competency
  2. a modest but adequate scale of living
  3. the quality or state of being sufficient : adequacy

suf·fi·cient [sə-'fi-shənt] -adj, adv

  1. enough to meet the needs of a situation or a proposed end
    • sufficient provisions for a month
  2. being a sufficient condition
  3. qualified, competent

sufficient condition -n

  1. a proposition whose truth assures the truth of another proposition
  2. a state of affairs whose existence assures the existence of another state of affairs

suf·fix ['sə-fiks] -n, adj

  1. an affix occurring at the end of a word, base, or phrase
  2. to attach as a suffix

suf·fo·cate ['sə-fə-,kāt] -vb, n, adj

  1. to stop the respiration of (as by strangling or asphyxiation)
  2. to deprive of oxygen
  3. to make uncomfortable by want of fresh air
  4. to impede or stop the development of
  5. : to become suffocated:
  6. to die from being unable to breathe
  7. to die from lack of oxygen
  8. to be uncomfortable through lack of fresh air
  9. to become checked in development

suffocating -adj, adv

  1. tending or serving to suffocate or overpower : overwhelming

Suf·folk ['sə-fək, -,fȯk] -n

  1. any of a breed of chestnut-colored draft horses of English origin called also Suffolk punch
  2. any of a breed of large hornless black-faced sheep of English origin raised chiefly for mutton

suf·fra·gan ['sə-fri-gən, -jən] -n

  1. a diocesan bishop (as in the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England) subordinate to a metropolitan
  2. an Anglican or Episcopal bishop assisting a diocesan bishop and not having the right of succession

suffragan -adj

  1. of or being a suffragan
  2. subordinate to a metropolitan or archiepiscopal see

suf·frage ['sə-frij, sometimes -fə-rij] -n

  1. a short intercessory prayer usu. in a series
  2. a vote given in deciding a controverted question or electing a person for an office or trust
  3. the right of voting : franchise
  4. the exercise of such right

suf·frag·ette [,sə-fri-'jet] -n

  1. a woman who advocates suffrage for women

suf·frag·ist ['səf-ri-jist] -n

  1. one who advocates extension of suffrage esp. to women

suf·fuse [sə-'fyüz] -vt, n, adj

  1. to spread over or through in the manner of fluid or light : flush, fill
    • the northern horizon was suffused with a deep red glow -- P. M. Leschak

Su·fi ['sü-(,)fē] -n, adj

  1. a Muslim mystic

sug·ar ['shu̇-gər] -n, adj

  1. a sweet crystallizable material that consists wholly or essentially of sucrose, is colorless or white when pure tending to brown when less refined, is obtained commercially from sugarcane or sugar beet and less extensively from sorghum, maples, and palms, and is important as a source of dietary carbohydrate and as a sweetener and preservative of other foods
  2. any of various water-soluble compounds that vary widely in sweetness, include the monosaccharides and oligosaccharides, and typically are optically active
  3. a unit (as a spoonful, cube, or lump) of sugar
  4. a sugar bowl

sugar ['shu̇-g(ə-)riŋ] -vb

  1. to make palatable or attractive : sweeten
    • a story sugar ed with romance
  2. to sprinkle or mix with sugar
  3. to form or be converted into sugar
  4. to become granular
  5. to make maple syrup or maple sugar

sugar apple -n

  1. a tropical American tree ( Annona squamosa) of the custard-apple family
  2. its edible sweet pulpy fruit with thick green scaly rind and shining black seeds

sugar beet -n

  1. a white-rooted beet grown for the sugar in its roots

sug·ar·ber·ry ['shu̇-gər-,ber-ē] -n

  1. any of several hackberries (esp. Celtis laevigataand C. occidentalis) with sweet edible fruits

sugar bush -n

  1. a woods in which sugar maples predominate

sug·ar·cane ['shu̇-gər-,kān] -n

  1. a stout tall perennial grass ( Saccharum officinarum) native to tropical southeast Asia that has a large terminal panicle and is widely grown in warm regions as a source of sugar

sug·ar·coat ['shu̇-gər-,kōt] -vt

  1. to coat with sugar
  2. to make superficially attractive or palatable

sugar daddy -n

  1. a well-to-do usu. older man who supports or spends lavishly on a mistress, girlfriend, or boyfriend
  2. a generous benefactor of a cause or undertaking

sug·ar·house ['shu̇-gər-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a building where sugar is made or refined
  2. one where maple sap is boiled and maple syrup and maple sugar are made

sugaring off -n

  1. the act or process of converting maple syrup into sugar
  2. a party held at the time of sugaring off

sug·ar·loaf ['shu̇-gər-,lōf] -n, adj

  1. refined sugar molded into a cone
  2. a hill or mountain shaped like a sugarloaf

sugar maple -n

  1. a maple ( Acer saccharum) of eastern No. America with 3- to 5-lobed leaves, hard close-grained wood much used for cabinetwork, and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar called also rock maple hard maple
  2. any of several maples (esp. Acer nigrumand A. grandidentatum) often considered subspecies of the sugar maple

sugar off -vi

  1. to complete the process of boiling down the syrup in making maple sugar until it is thick enough to crystallize
  2. to approach or reach the state of granulation

sugar orchard -n

  1. sugar bush

sugar pea -n

  1. snow pea

sugar pill -n

  1. a pharmacologically inert pill : placebo

sugar pine -n

  1. a very tall pine ( Pinus lambertiana) found from Oregon to Baja California and having needles in clusters of five, cones up to 18 inches (46 cm) long, and soft reddish-brown wood
  2. its wood

sug·ar·plum ['shu̇-gər-,pləm] -n

  1. a small candy in the shape of a ball or disk : sweetmeat

sugar snap pea -n

  1. snap pea

sug·ary ['shu̇-g(ə-)rē] -adj

  1. exaggeratedly sweet : honeyed
    • his sugary deprecating voice -- D. H. Lawrence
  2. cloyingly sweet : sentimental
  3. containing, resembling, or tasting of sugar

sug·gest [səg-'jest, sə-'jest] -vt, n

  1. to seek to influence : seduce
  2. to call forth : evoke
  3. to mention or imply as a possibility
    • suggest ed that he might bring his family
  4. to propose as desirable or fitting
    • suggest a stroll
  5. to offer for consideration or as a hypothesis
    • suggest a solution to a problem
  6. to call to mind by thought or association
    • the explosion...suggest ed sabotage -- F. L. Paxson
  7. to serve as a motive or inspiration for
    • a play suggest ed by a historic incident

sug·gest·ible [səg-'jes-tə-bəl, sə-'jes-] -adj, n

  1. easily influenced by suggestion

sug·ges·tion [səg-'jes-chən, sə-'jes-, -'jesh-] -n

  1. the act or process of suggesting
  2. something suggested
  3. the process by which a physical or mental state is influenced by a thought or idea
    • the power of suggestion
  4. the process by which one thought leads to another esp. through association of ideas
  5. a slight indication : trace
    • a suggestion of a smile

sug·ges·tive [səg-'jes-tiv, sə-'jes-] -adj, adv, n

  1. giving a suggestion : indicative
    • suggestive of a past era
  2. full of suggestions : stimulating thought
    • provided a suggestive...commentary on the era -- Lloyd Morris
  3. stirring mental associations : evocative
  4. suggesting or tending to suggest something improper or indecent : risque

sui·cid·al [,sü-ə-'sī-dᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. dangerous esp. to life
  2. destructive to one's own interests
  3. relating to or of the nature of suicide
  4. marked by an impulse to commit suicide

sui·cide ['sü-ə-,sīd] -n

  1. the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally esp. by a person of years of discretion and of sound mind
  2. ruin of one's own interests
    • political suicide
  3. apoptosis
    • cell suicide
  4. one that commits or attempts suicide

suicide -adj

  1. of or relating to suicide
  2. being or performing a deliberate act resulting in the voluntary death of the person who does it
    • a suicide mission
    • a suicide bomber
  3. to commit suicide
  4. to put (oneself) to death

suicide squeeze -n

  1. a squeeze play in which the runner runs all out at the pitch without knowing whether the batter will contact the ball

sui ge·ner·is [,sü-,ī-'je-nə-rəs; ,sü-ē-'je-, -'ge-] -adj

  1. constituting a class alone : unique, peculiar

sui ju·ris [,sü-,ī-'ju̇r-əs, ,sü-ē-'yu̇r-] -adj

  1. having full legal rights or capacity

su·int ['sü-ənt, 'swint] -n

  1. dried perspiration of sheep deposited in the wool and rich in potassium salts

suit ['süt] -n, adj

  1. suite
  2. recourse or appeal to a feudal superior for justice or redress
  3. an action or process in a court for the recovery of a right or claim
  4. an act or instance of suing or seeking by entreaty : appeal
  5. courtship
  6. a group of things forming a unit
  7. suite used chiefly of armor, sails, and counters in games
  8. : a set of garments: as
  9. an ensemble of two or more usu. matching outer garments (as a jacket, vest, and trousers)
    • businessmen wearing three-piece suit s
  10. a costume to be worn for a special purpose or under particular conditions
    • gym suit s
  11. all the playing cards in a pack bearing the same symbol
  12. all the dominoes bearing the same number
  13. all the cards or counters in a particular suit held by one player
    • a 5-card suit
  14. the suit led
    • follow suit
  15. a business executive usu. used in pl.
  16. to be becoming to
    • that dress suit s you
  17. to be proper for : befit
    • a mood that suit s the occasion
  18. to outfit with clothes : dress
  19. accommodate, adapt
    • suit the action to the word
  20. to meet the needs or desires of : please
    • suit s me fine
  21. to be in accordance : agree
    • the position suit s with your abilities
  22. to be appropriate or satisfactory
    • these prices don't suit
  23. to put on specially required clothing (as a uniform or protective garb) usu. used with up
    • players suit ing up for the game

suit·able ['sü-tə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. similar, matching
  2. adapted to a use or purpose
    • suitable for kitchen use
  3. satisfying propriety : proper
    • suitable dress
  4. able, qualified
    • a suitable candidate for the job

suit·case ['süt-,kās] -n

  1. portable case designed to hold a traveler's clothing and personal articles

suite ['swēt, 2d is also 'süt] -n

  1. retinue
  2. the personal staff accompanying a ruler, diplomat, or dignitary on official business
  3. : a group of things forming a unit or constituting a collection : set: as
  4. a group of rooms occupied as a unit
  5. a 17th and 18th century instrumental musical form consisting of a series of dances in the same or related keys
  6. a modern instrumental composition in several movements of different character
  7. a long orchestral concert arrangement in suite form of material drawn from a longer work (as a ballet)
  8. a collection of minerals or rocks having some characteristic in common (as type or origin)
  9. a set of matched furniture
  10. a set of computer programs designed to work together and usu. sold as a single unit

suit·er ['sü-tər] -n

  1. a suitcase for holding a specified number of suits usu. used in combination
    • a two- suiter

suit·ing ['sü-tiŋ] -n

  1. fabric for suits
  2. a suit of clothes

suit·or ['sü-tər] -n

  1. one that petitions or entreats
  2. a party to a suit at law
  3. one who courts a woman or seeks to marry her
  4. one who seeks to take over a business

su·ki·ya·ki [skē-'yä-kē; ,su̇-kē-', ,sü-] -n

  1. a dish consisting of thin slices of meat, tofu, and vegetables cooked in soy sauce and sugar

suk·kah ['su̇-kə] -n

  1. a booth or shelter with a roof of branches and leaves that is used esp. for meals during the Sukkoth

Suk·koth ['su̇-kəs, -,kōt, -,kōth, -,kōs] -n

  1. a Jewish harvest festival beginning on the 15th of Tishri and commemorating the temporary shelters used by the Jews during their wandering in the wilderness

sul·cate ['səl-,kāt] -adj

  1. scored with usu. longitudinal furrows
    • a sulcate seedpod

sul·cus ['səl-kəs] -n

  1. furrow, groove
  2. a shallow furrow on the surface of the brain separating adjacent convolutions

sulf- -comb form

  1. sulfur : containing sulfur
    • sulf ide

sul·fa ['səl-fə] -adj

  1. related chemically to sulfanilamide
  2. of, relating to, or containing sulfa drugs

sul·fa·di·a·zine [,səl-fə-'dī-ə-,zēn] -n

  1. a sulfa drug C 10H 10N 4O 2S used esp. in the treatment of toxoplasmosis

sulfa drug -n

  1. any of various synthetic organic bacteria-inhibiting drugs that are sulfonamides derived esp. from sulfanilamide

sul·fa·meth·ox·a·zole [,səl-fə-,me-'thäk-sə-,zōl] -n

  1. an antibacterial sulfonamide C 10H 11N 3O 3S used alone or in combination with trimethoprim (as in the treatment of urinary tract infections or acute otitis media)

sul·fa·nil·amide [,səl-fə-'ni-lə-,mīd, -məd] -n

  1. a crystalline sulfonamide C 6H 8N 2O 2S that is the parent compound of most of the sulfa drugs

sul·fa·tase ['səl-fə-,tās, -,tāz] -n

  1. any of various esterases that accelerate the hydrolysis of sulfuric esters and that are found in animal tissues and in microorganisms (as bacteria)

sul·fate ['səl-,fāt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of sulfuric acid
  2. a divalent group or anion SO 4characteristic of sulfuric acid and the sulfates

sulfate -vt

  1. to treat or combine with sulfuric acid or a sulfate

sulf·hy·dryl [,səlf-'(h)ī-drəl] -n

  1. thiol used chiefly in molecular biology

sul·fide ['səl-,fīd] -n

  1. any of various organic compounds characterized by a sulfur atom attached to two carbon atoms
  2. a binary compound (as CuS) of sulfur usu. with a more electropositive element or group : a salt of hydrogen sulfide

sul·fin·py·ra·zone [,səl-fən-'pī-rə-,zōn] -n

  1. a uricosuric drug C 23H 20N 2O 3S used in long-term treatment of chronic gout

sul·fite ['səl-,fīt] -n, adj

  1. a salt or ester of sulfurous acid

sul·fon·amide [,səl-'fä-nə-,mīd, -məd; -'fō-nə-,mīd] -n

  1. any of various amides (as sulfanilamide) of a sulfonic acid
  2. sulfa drug

sul·fo·nate ['səl-fə-,nāt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of a sulfonic acid

sulfonate [,səl-fə-'nā-shən] -vt, n

  1. to introduce the SO 3H group into
  2. to treat (an organic substance) with sulfuric acid

sul·fone ['səl-,fōn] -n

  1. any of various compounds containing the sulfonyl group with its sulfur atom having two bonds with carbon

sul·fon·ic [,səl-'fä-nik, -'fō-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, being, or derived from the monovalent acid group SO 3H

sulfonic acid -n

  1. any of numerous acids that contain the SO 3H group and may be derived from sulfuric acid by replacement of a hydroxyl group by either an inorganic anion or a monovalent organic group

sul·fo·ni·um [,səl-'fō-nē-əm] -n

  1. a monovalent group or cation SH 3or derivative SR 3

sul·fo·nyl ['səl-fə-,nil] -n

  1. the divalent group SO 2

sul·fo·nyl·urea [,səl-fə-,nil-'yu̇r-ē-ə] -n

  1. any of several hypoglycemic compounds related to the sulfonamides and used in the oral treatment of diabetes

sul·fo·raph·ane [,səl-fō-'ra-,fan, -'rā-] -n

  1. an anticarcinogenic isothiocyanate C 6H 11NOS 2found in cruciferous vegetables (as broccoli and cauliflower) that is thought to function by stimulating the production of enzymes in the body that detoxify cancer-causing substances

sulf·ox·ide [,səl-'fäk-,sīd] -n

  1. any of a class of organic compounds characterized by an SO group with its sulfur atom having two bonds with carbon

sul·fur ['səl-fər] -n, adj

  1. a nonmetallic element that occurs either free or combined esp. in sulfides and sulfates, is a constituent of proteins, exists in several allotropic forms including yellow orthorhombic crystals, resembles oxygen chemically but is less active and more acidic, and is used esp. in the chemical and paper industries, in rubber vulcanization, and in medicine for treating skin diseases

sulfur bacterium -n

  1. any of various bacteria (esp. genus Thiobacillus) capable of metabolizing sulfur compounds

sulfur dioxide -n

  1. a heavy pungent toxic gas SO 2that is easily condensed to a colorless liquid, is used esp. in making sulfuric acid, in bleaching, as a preservative, and as a refrigerant, and is a major air pollutant esp. in industrial areas

sul·fu·ric [,səl-'fyu̇r-ik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or containing sulfur esp. with a higher valence than sulfurous compounds
    • sulfuric esters

sulfuric acid [,səl-'fyu̇r-ik-] -n

  1. a heavy corrosive oily dibasic strong acid H 2SO 4that is colorless when pure and is a vigorous oxidizing and dehydrating agent

sul·fu·rize ['səl-fə-,rīz, -fyə-] -vt

  1. to treat with sulfur or a sulfur compound

sul·fu·rous ['səl-fə-rəs, -fyə- also esp for 1a ,səl-'fyu̇r-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or containing sulfur esp. with a lower valence than sulfuric compounds
    • sulfurous esters
  2. resembling or emanating from sulfur and esp. burning sulfur
  3. of, relating to, or dealing with the fire of hell : infernal
  4. scathing, virulent
    • sulfurous denunciations
  5. profane, blasphemous
    • sulfurous language

sulfurous acid -n

  1. a weak unstable dibasic acid H 2SO 3known in solution and through its salts and used as a reducing and bleaching agent

sul·fu·ryl ['səl-fə-,ril, -fyə-] -n

  1. sulfonyl used esp. in names of inorganic compounds

sulk ['səlk] -vi

  1. to be moodily silent
  2. the state of one sulking often used in pl.
    • had a case of the sulk s
  3. a sulky mood or spell
    • in a sulk

sulky ['səl-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. sulking or given to spells of sulking
  2. relating to or indicating a sulk
    • a sulky expression
  3. having wheels and usu. a seat for the driver
    • a sulky plow
  4. a light 2-wheeled vehicle (as for harness racing) having a seat for the driver only and usu. no body

sul·lage ['sə-lij] -n

  1. refuse, sewage

sul·len ['sə-lən] -adj, adv, n

  1. gloomily or resentfully silent or repressed
    • a sullen crowd
  2. suggesting a sullen state : lowering
    • a sullen countenance
  3. dull or somber in sound or color
  4. dismal, gloomy
    • a sullen morning
  5. moving sluggishly
    • a sullen river

sul·ly ['sə-lē] -vt

  1. to make soiled or tarnished : defile

sully -n

  1. soil, stain

sulph- -comb form

(variant of sulf-)

  1. sulfur : containing sulfur
    • sulf ide

sul·phate ['səl-,fāt] -n

(variant of sulfate)

  1. a salt or ester of sulfuric acid
  2. a divalent group or anion SO 4characteristic of sulfuric acid and the sulfates

sulphur butterfly -n

  1. any of numerous butterflies (esp. Coliasand related genera of the family Pieridae) having the wings usu. yellow or orange with a black border called also sulphur

sul·phu·re·ous [,səl-'fyu̇r-ē-əs] -adj

  1. sulfurous

sul·phu·rise ['səl-fə-,rīz, -fyə-] -vt

(variant of sulfurize)

  1. to treat with sulfur or a sulfur compound

sulphur yellow -n

  1. a brilliant greenish yellow

Sul·pi·cian [,səl-'pi-shən] -n

  1. a member of the Society of Priests of St. Sulpice founded by Jean Jacques Olier in Paris, France, in 1642 and dedicated to the teaching of seminarians

sul·tan ['səl-tᵊn] -n, adj

  1. a king or sovereign esp. of a Muslim state

sul·ta·na [(,)səl-'ta-nə] -n

  1. a woman who is a member of a sultan's family
  2. a sultan's wife
  3. a pale yellow seedless grape grown for raisins and wine
  4. the raisin of a sultana

sul·tan·ate ['səl-tᵊn-,āt] -n

  1. a state or country governed by a sultan
  2. the office, dignity, or power of a sultan

sul·tan·ess ['səl-tə-nəs] -n

  1. sultana

sul·try ['səl-trē] -adj, adv, n

  1. very hot and humid : sweltering
    • a sultry day
  2. burning hot : torrid
    • a sultry sun
  3. hot with passion or anger
  4. exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire
    • sultry glances

sum ['səm] -n, adj

  1. an indefinite or specified amount of money
  2. the whole amount : aggregate
  3. the utmost degree : summit
    • reached the sum of human happiness
  4. a summary of the chief points or thoughts : summation
    • the sum of this criticism follows -- C. W. Hendel
  5. gist
    • the sum and substance of an argument
  6. the result of adding numbers
    • the sum of 5 and 7 is 12
  7. the limit of the sum of the first nterms of an infinite series as nincreases indefinitely
  8. numbers to be added
  9. a problem in arithmetic
  10. disjunction
  11. union
  12. to calculate the sum of : total
  13. summarize
  14. to reach a sum : amount

su·mac ['shü-,mak, 'sü-] -n

  1. a material used in tanning and dyeing that consists of dried powdered leaves and flowers of various sumacs
  2. any of a genus ( Rhus) of trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the cashew family that have leaves turning to brilliant colors in the autumn, small usu. dioecious flowers, and spikes or loose clusters of red or whitish berries

su·ma·trip·tan [,sü-mə-'trip-,tan, -tən] -n

  1. a triptan C 14H 21N 3O 2S that is administered as a nasal spray or in the form of its succinate by mouth or by injection and is used in the treatment of migraine attacks

Su·me·ri·an [sü-'mer-ē-ən, -'mir-] -n, adj

  1. a native of Sumer
  2. the language of the Sumerians that has no known linguistic affinities

Su·me·rol·o·gy [,sü-mə-'rä-lə-jē] -n

  1. the study of Sumerian culture, language, and history

sum·ma ['su̇-mə, 'sü-, 'sə-] -n

  1. a comprehensive treatise
  2. one by a scholastic philosopher
  3. a synthesis or summary of any subject

sum·ma cum lau·de [,su̇-mə-(,)ku̇m-'lau̇-də, ,sü-, -'lau̇-dē; ,sə-mə-,kəm-'lȯ-dē] -adv or adj

  1. with highest distinction
    • graduated summa cum laude

sum·mand ['sə-,mand, ,sə-'mand] -n

  1. a term in a summation : addend

sum·ma·rise ['sə-mə-,rīz] -vb, adj, n

(variant of summarize)

  1. to tell in or reduce to a summary
  2. to make a summary

sum·ma·ri·za·tion [,sə-mə-rə-'zā-shən, ,səm-rə-] -n

  1. the act of summarizing
  2. summary

sum·ma·rize ['sə-mə-,rīz] -vb, adj, n

  1. to tell in or reduce to a summary
  2. to make a summary

sum·ma·ry ['sə-mə-rē also 'səm-rē or -,mer-ē] -adj, adv

  1. comprehensive
  2. covering the main points succinctly
  3. done without delay or formality : quickly executed
    • a summary dismissal
  4. of, relating to, or using a summary proceeding
    • a summary trial
  5. an abstract, abridgment, or compendium esp. of a preceding discourse

summary judgment -n

  1. judgment that may be granted upon a party's motion when the pleadings, discovery, and any affidavits show that there is no issue of material fact and that the party is entitled to judgment in its favor as a matter of law

summary proceeding -n

  1. a civil or criminal proceeding conducted without formalities (as pleadings) for the speedy disposition of a matter

sum·mate ['sə-,māt] -vb

  1. to add together : sum up
  2. to form a sum or cumulative effect

sum·ma·tion [(,)sə-'mā-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act or process of forming a sum : addition
  2. sum, total
  3. cumulative action or effect
  4. the process by which a sequence of stimuli that are individually inadequate to produce a response are cumulatively able to induce a nerve impulse
  5. a final part of an argument reviewing points made and expressing conclusions

sum·ma·tive ['sə-mə-tiv, -,mā-] -adj

  1. additive, cumulative

sum·mer ['sə-mər] -n, adj

  1. the season between spring and autumn comprising in the northern hemisphere usu. the months of June, July, and August or as reckoned astronomically extending from the June solstice to the September equinox
  2. the warmer half of the year
  3. year
    • a girl of seventeen summer s
  4. a period of maturing powers

summer -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suitable for summer
    • summer vacation
    • a summer home
  2. sown in the spring and harvested in the same year as sown
    • summer wheat
  3. to pass the summer
  4. to keep or carry through the summer
  5. to provide (as cattle or sheep) with pasture during the summer

summer cypress -n

  1. a densely branched Eurasian herb ( Kochia scoparia) of the goosefoot family grown for its foliage which turns red in autumn

summer flounder -n

  1. a greenish-brown white-spotted flounder ( Paralichthys dentatusof the family Bothidae) that occurs along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. from Maine to Florida and is used for food

sum·mer·house ['sə-mər-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a country house for summer residence
  2. a covered structure in a garden or park designed to provide a shady resting place in summer

summer kitchen -n

  1. a small building or shed that is usu. adjacent to a house and is used as a kitchen in warm weather

sum·mer·long [-,lȯŋ, -'lȯŋ] -adj

  1. lasting through the summer

sum·mers ['sə-mərz] -adv

  1. during the summers
    • worked summers as a waiter

summersault ['sə-mər-,sȯlt] -n, vi

(variant of somersault)

  1. a movement (as in gymnastics) in which a person turns forward or backward in a complete revolution along the ground or in the air bringing the feet over the head
  2. a falling or tumbling head over heels

summer savory -n

  1. an aromatic annual European mint ( Satureja hortensis) with leaves used for seasoning
  2. its leaves

summer school -n

  1. a school or school session conducted in summer enabling students to accelerate progress toward a diploma or degree, to make up credits lost through absence or failure, or to round out professional education

summer squash -n

  1. any of various squashes that are cultivars of a variety ( Cucurbita pepovar. melopepo) and are used as a vegetable while immature and before hardening of the seeds and rind

summer stock -n

  1. theatrical productions of stock companies presented during the summer

summer theater -n

  1. a theater that presents several different plays or musicals during the summer

sum·mer·time ['sə-mər-,tīm] -n

  1. the summer season or a period like summer

summer time -n

  1. daylight saving time

sum·mer·wood ['sə-mər-,wu̇d] -n

  1. the harder less porous portion of an annual ring of wood that develops late in the growing season

sum·mery ['sə-mə-rē, 'səm-rē] -adj

  1. of, resembling, or fit for summer

sum·mingup [,sə-miŋ-'əp] -n

  1. the act or statement of one who sums up

sum·mit ['sə-mət] -n

  1. top, apex
  2. the highest point : peak
  3. the topmost level attainable
    • the summit of human fame
  4. the highest level of officials
  5. the diplomatic level of heads of government
  6. a conference of highest-level officials (as heads of government)
    • an economic summit

summit -vi

  1. to participate in a summit conference
  2. to climb to the summit
    • summit ed on May 29

sum·mit·eer [,sə-mə-'tir] -n

  1. one who takes part in a summit

sum·mit·ry ['sə-mə-trē] -n

  1. the use of a summit conference for international negotiation

sum·mon ['sə-mən] -vt, adj, n

  1. to issue a call to convene : convoke
  2. to command by service of a summons to appear in court
  3. to call upon for specified action
  4. to bid to come : send for
    • summon a physician
  5. to call forth : evoke often used with up

sum·mons ['sə-mənz] -n

  1. the act of summoning
  2. a call by authority to appear at a place named or to attend to a duty
  3. : a warning or citation to appear in court: as
  4. a written notification to be served on a person as a warning to appear in court at a day specified to answer to the plaintiff
  5. a subpoena to appear as a witness
  6. something (as a call) that summons

summons -vt

  1. summon

sum·mum bo·num [,su̇-məm-'bō-nəm, ,sü-, ,sə-] -n

  1. the supreme good from which all others are derived

su·mo ['sü-(,)mō] -n

  1. a Japanese form of wrestling in which a contestant loses if he is forced out of the ring or if any part of his body except the soles of his feet touches the ground

sump ['səmp] -n

  1. : a pit or reservoir serving as a drain or receptacle for liquids: as
  2. cesspool
  3. a pit at the lowest point in a circulating or drainage system (as the oil-circulating system of an internal combustion engine)
  4. oil pan
  5. crankcase
  6. the lowest part of a mine shaft into which water drains
  7. an excavation ahead of regular work in driving a mine tunnel or sinking a mine shaft
  8. something resembling a sump : sink

sump pump -n

  1. a pump (as in a basement) to remove accumulations of liquid (as water) from a sump pit

sump·ter ['səm(p)-tər] -n

  1. a pack animal

sump·tu·ary ['səm(p)-chə-,wer-ē] -adj

  1. relating to personal expenditures and esp. to prevent extravagance and luxury
    • conservative sumptuary tastes -- John Cheever
  2. designed to regulate extravagant expenditures or habits esp. on moral or religious grounds
    • sumptuary laws
    • sumptuary tax

sump·tu·ous ['səm(p)(t)-shə-wəs, -shəs, -shwəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent
    • sumptuous banquets
    • a sumptuous residence
  2. magnificent

sum total -n

  1. a total arrived at through the counting of sums
  2. total result : totality

sumup ['səm-,əp] -n

  1. summary

sum up -vt

  1. to be the sum of : bring to a total
    • 10 victories summed up his record
  2. to present or show succinctly : summarize
    • sum up the evidence presented
  3. to assess and then describe briefly : size up
  4. to present a summary or recapitulation

sun ['sən] -n

  1. the luminous celestial body around which the earth and other planets revolve, from which they receive heat and light, which is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, and which has a mean distance from earth of about 93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 kilometers), a linear diameter of 864,000 miles (1,390,000 kilometers), and a mass 332,000 times greater than earth
  2. a celestial body like the sun : star
  3. the heat or light radiated from the sun
    • played in the sun all day
  4. one resembling the sun (as in warmth or brilliance)
  5. the rising or setting of the sun
    • from sun to sun
  6. glory, splendor
  7. to expose to or as if to the rays of the sun
  8. to sun oneself

Sun -abbr

  1. Sunday

sun·baked ['sən-,bākt] -adj

  1. heated, parched, or compacted esp. by excessive sunlight
  2. baked by exposure to sunshine

sun·bath ['sən-,bath, -,bäth] -n

  1. an exposure to sunlight or a sunlamp

sun·bathe [-,bāth] -vi, n

  1. to take a sunbath

sun·beam [-,bēm] -n

  1. a ray of sunlight

sun bear -n

  1. a small forest-dwelling bear ( Ursus malayanussyn. Helarctos malayanus) of southeastern Asia that has short glossy black fur with a lighter muzzle and often an orange or white breast mark

sun·bird [-,bərd] -n

  1. any of numerous small brilliantly colored oscine birds (family Nectariniidae) of the tropical Old World somewhat resembling hummingbirds

sun·block [-,bläk] -n

  1. a preparation (as a lotion) applied to the skin to prevent sunburn (as by physically blocking out ultraviolet radiation)
  2. its active ingredient (as titanium dioxide)

sun·bon·net [-,bä-nət] -n

  1. a woman's bonnet with a wide brim framing the face and usu. having a ruffle at the back to protect the neck from the sun

sun·bow [-,bō] -n

  1. an arch resembling a rainbow made by the sun shining through vapor or mist

sun·burn [-,bərn] -vb

  1. to burn or discolor by the sun
  2. to become sunburned

sunburn -n

  1. inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation esp. from sunlight

sun·burst ['sən-,bərst] -n

  1. a flash of sunlight esp. through a break in clouds
  2. a jeweled brooch representing a sun surrounded by rays
  3. a design in the form of rays diverging from a central point

sun·choke [-,chōk] -n

  1. jerusalem artichoke

sun·dae ['sən-(,)dā, -dē] -n

  1. ice cream served with topping (as crushed fruit, syrup, nuts, or whipped cream)

sun dance -n

  1. a solo or group solstice rite of American Indians

Sun·day ['sən-(,)dā, -dē] -n, adv

  1. the first day of the week : the Christian analogue of the Jewish Sabbath

Sunday -adj

  1. of, relating to, or associated with Sunday
  2. best
    • Sunday suit
  3. amateur
    • Sunday painters

Sun·daygotomeet·ing ['sən-dē-,gō-tə-'mē-tiŋ] -adj

  1. appropriate for Sunday churchgoing

Sunday punch -n

  1. a powerful or devastating blow
  2. a knockout punch
  3. something capable of delivering a powerful or devastating blow to the opposition
    • saving his Sunday punch for the end of the campaign -- Newsweek

Sunday school -n

  1. a school held on Sunday for religious education
  2. the teachers and pupils of such a school

sun·deck ['sən-,dek] -n

  1. the usu. upper deck of a ship that is exposed to the most sun
  2. a roof, deck, or terrace for sunning

sun·der ['sən-dər] -vb

  1. to break apart or in two : separate by or as if by violence or by intervening time or space
  2. to become parted, disunited, or severed

sun·dew ['sən-(,)dü, -(,)dyü] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Droseraof the family Droseraceae, the sundew family) of bog-inhabiting insectivorous herbs having leaves covered with gland-tipped adhesive hairs

sun·di·al [-,dī(-ə)l] -n

  1. an instrument to show the time of day by the shadow of a gnomon on a usu. horizontal plate or on a cylindrical surface

sun disk -n

  1. an ancient Near Eastern symbol consisting of a disk with conventionalized wings emblematic of the sun god (as Ra in Egypt)

sun dog -n

  1. parhelion
  2. a small nearly round halo on the parhelic circle most frequently just outside the halo of 22 degrees

sun·down ['sən-,dau̇n] -n

  1. sunset

sun·down·er [-,dau̇-nər] -n

  1. hobo, tramp
  2. a drink taken at sundown

sun·dress [-,dres] -n

  1. a dress with an abbreviated bodice usu. exposing the shoulders, arms, and back

sun·dries ['sən-drēz] -n pl

  1. miscellaneous small articles, details, or items

sun·drops ['sən-,dräps] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. any of several day-flowering herbs (genera Oenotheraand Calylophus) of the evening-primrose family

sun·dry ['sən-drē] -adj

  1. miscellaneous, various
    • sundry articles

sundry -pron, pl in constr

  1. an indeterminate number
    • recommended for reading by all and sundry -- Edward Huberman

sun·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. ocean sunfish
  2. any of numerous No. American freshwater bony fishes (family Centrarchidae, esp. genus Lepomis) usu. with a deep compressed body and metallic luster

Sunfish -trademark

  1. used for a small light sailboat that has one sail

sun·flow·er [-,flau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Helianthus,esp. H. annuus) of New World composite plants with large yellow-rayed flower heads bearing edible seeds that yield an edible oil

sung ['siŋ] -vb, adj

(variant of sing)

  1. to produce musical tones by means of the voice
  2. to utter words in musical tones and with musical inflections and modulations
  3. to deliver songs as a trained or professional singer
  4. to make a shrill whining or whistling sound
  5. to relate or celebrate something in verse
  6. to compose poetry
  7. to create in or through words a feeling or sense of song
    • prose that sing s
  8. to produce musical or harmonious sounds
    • birds sing ing
  9. buzz, ring
  10. to make a cry : call
  11. to give information or evidence
  12. to utter with musical inflections
  13. to interpret in musical tones produced by the voice
  14. to relate or celebrate in verse
  15. chant, intone
  16. to bring or accompany to a place or state by singing
    • sing s the child to sleep
  17. a session of group singing

Sung ['su̇ŋ] -n, adj

  1. a Chinese dynasty dated a.d.9601280 and marked by cultural refinement and achievements in philosophy, literature, and art

sun·glass ['sən-,glas] -n

  1. a convex lens for converging the sun's rays
  2. glasses to protect the eyes from the sun

sung mass -n

  1. high mass

sun god -n

  1. a god that represents or personifies the sun in various religions

sun goddess -n

  1. a goddess that represents or personifies the sun in various religions

sungrebe ['sən-,grēb] -n

  1. any of a small family (Heliornithidae) of semiaquatic African, Asian, and American tropical birds that have lobed feet and are related to the rails

sunk ['siŋk] -vb, adj

(variant of sink)

  1. to go to the bottom : submerge
  2. to become partly buried (as in mud)
  3. to become engulfed
  4. to fall or drop to a lower place or level
  5. to flow at a lower depth or level
  6. to burn with lower intensity
  7. to fall to a lower pitch or volume
    • his voice sank to a whisper
  8. to subside gradually : settle
  9. to disappear from view
  10. to slope gradually : dip
  11. to soak or become absorbed : penetrate
  12. to become impressively known or felt
    • the lesson had sunk in
  13. to become deeply absorbed
    • sank into reverie
  14. to go downward in quality, state, or condition
  15. to grow less in amount or worth
  16. to fall or drop slowly for lack of strength
  17. to become depressed
  18. to fail in health or strength
  19. fail
  20. to cause to sink
    • sink a battleship
  21. to force down esp. below the earth's surface
  22. to cause (something) to penetrate
  23. immerse, absorb
    • he sank himself into his studies
  24. to dig or bore (a well or shaft) in the earth : excavate
  25. to form by cutting or excising
    • sink words in stone
  26. to cast down or bring to a low condition or state : overwhelm, defeat
  27. to lower in standing or reputation : abase
  28. to lessen in value or amount
  29. to lower or soften (the voice) in speaking
  30. restrain, suppress
    • sink s her pride and approaches the despised neighbor -- Richard Harrison
  31. to pay off (as a debt) : liquidate
  32. invest
  33. drop
    • sink a putt
    • sink a jump shot
  34. to drink down completely
  35. a pool or pit for the deposit of waste or sewage : cesspool
  36. a ditch or tunnel for carrying off sewage : sewer
  37. a stationary basin connected with a drain and usu. a water supply for washing and drainage
  38. a place where vice, corruption, or evil collects
  39. sump
  40. a depression in the land surface
  41. one having a saline lake with no outlet
  42. sinkhole
  43. : a body or process that acts as a storage device or disposal mechanism: as
  44. heat sink
  45. a device that collects or dissipates energy (as radiation)
  46. a reactant with or absorber of a substance
    • forests are a sink for carbon dioxide

sunk·en ['səŋ-kən] -adj

  1. submerged
  2. lying at the bottom of a body of water
  3. hollow, recessed
    • sunken cheeks
  4. lying in a depression
    • a sunken garden
  5. settled below the normal level
  6. constructed below the normal floor level
    • a sunken living room

sunk fence -n

  1. a ditch with a retaining wall used to divide lands without defacing a landscape called also ha-ha

sun·lamp ['sən-,lamp] -n

  1. an electric lamp designed to emit radiation of wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared

sun·less [-ləs] -adj

  1. lacking sunshine : dark, cheerless

sun·light [-,līt] -n

  1. the light of the sun : sunshine

sun·lit [-,lit] -adj

  1. lighted by or as if by the sun

sunn ['sən] -n

  1. an annual Indian herb ( Crotalaria juncea) of the legume family with slender branches, simple leaves, and yellow flowers
  2. its valuable fiber resembling hemp that is lighter and stronger than jute

sun·na ['su̇(n)-(,)nə, 'sə(n)-] -n

  1. the body of Islamic custom and practice based on Muhammad's words and deeds

sunn hemp -n

  1. sunn

Sun·ni ['su̇(n)-(,)nē] -n, adj

  1. the Muslims of the branch of Islam that adheres to the orthodox tradition and acknowledges the first four caliphs as rightful successors of Muhammad
  2. a Sunni Muslim

Sun·nism ['su̇(n)-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. the religious system or distinctive tenets of the Sunni

Sun·nite [-,nīt] -n, adj

  1. sunni

sun·ny ['sə-nē] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by brilliant sunlight : full of sunshine
  2. cheerful, optimistic
    • a sunny disposition
  3. exposed to, brightened by, or warmed by the sun
    • a sunny room

sun·nyside up [,sə-nē-,sīd-'əp] -adj

  1. fried on one side only

sun·porch [-,pȯrch] -n

  1. a screened-in or glassed-in porch with a sunny exposure

sun protection factor -n

  1. a number assigned to a sunscreen that is the factor by which the time required for unprotected skin to become sunburned is increased when the sunscreen is used abbr. SPF

sun·rise ['sən-,rīz] -n

  1. the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon
  2. the accompanying atmospheric effects
  3. the time when the upper limb of the sun appears above the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth

sun·roof [-,rüf, -,ru̇f] -n

  1. a panel in an automobile roof that can be opened

sun·room [-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a glass-enclosed porch or living room with a sunny exposure called also sun parlor

sun·scald [-,skȯld] -n

  1. an injury of woody plants (as fruit or forest trees) characterized by localized death of the tissues and sometimes by cankers and caused when it occurs in the summer by the combined action of both the heat and light of the sun and in the winter by the combined action of sun and low temperature to produce freezing of bark and underlying tissues

sun·screen [-,skrēn] -n, adj

  1. a screen to protect against sun
  2. a preparation (as a lotion) applied to the skin to prevent sunburn (as by chemically absorbing ultraviolet radiation)
  3. its active ingredient (as benzophenone)

sun·seek·er [-,sē-kər] -n

  1. a person who travels to an area of warmth and sun esp. in winter

sun·set [-,set] -n

  1. the apparent descent of the sun below the horizon
  2. the accompanying atmospheric effects
  3. the time when the upper limb of the sun disappears below the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth
  4. a period of decline
  5. old age

sunset -adj

  1. stipulating the periodic review of government agencies and programs in order to continue their existence
    • sunset laws

sun·shade ['sən-,shād] -n

  1. : something used as a protection from the sun's rays: as
  2. parasol
  3. awning

sun·shine [-,shīn] -n, adj

  1. the sun's light or direct rays
  2. the warmth and light given by the sun's rays
  3. a spot or surface on which the sun's light shines
  4. something (as a person, condition, or influence) that radiates warmth, cheer, or happiness

sunshine -adj

  1. forbidding or restricting closed meetings of legislative or executive bodies and sometimes providing for public access to records
    • sunshine laws

sun·spot [-,spät] -n

  1. any of the dark spots that appear at times on the sun's surface and are usu. visible only through a telescope

sun·stroke [-,strōk] -n

  1. heatstroke caused by direct exposure to the sun

sun·struck [-,strək] -adj

  1. affected or touched by the sun

sun·suit [-,süt] -n

  1. an outfit worn usu. for sunbathing and play

sun·tan [-,tan] -n, adj

  1. a browning of the skin from exposure to the rays of the sun
  2. a tan-colored summer uniform

sun·tan·ning ['sən-,ta-niŋ] -n, adj

  1. the process of tanning the skin by exposure to the sun or artificial light

sun·up [-,əp] -n

  1. sunrise

sun·ward ['sən-wərd] -adv

  1. toward the sun

sunward -adj

  1. facing the sun

sun·wise ['sən-,wīz] -adv

  1. clockwise

sup ['səp] -vb

  1. to take or drink in swallows or gulps
  2. to take food and esp. liquid food into the mouth a little at a time
  3. a mouthful esp. of liquor or broth : sip
  4. a small quantity of liquid
    • pour me just a sup of tea
  5. to eat the evening meal
  6. to make one's supper used with on or off
    • sup on roast beef
  7. superior
  8. supra

su·per ['sü-pər] -adj

  1. of high grade or quality
  2. used as a generalized term of approval
    • a super cook
  3. very large or powerful
    • a super atomic bomb
  4. exhibiting the characteristics of its type to an extreme or excessive degree
    • super secrecy

super -n

  1. supernumerary
  2. a supernumerary actor
  3. superintendent, supervisor
  4. the superintendent of an apartment building
  5. a removable upper story of a beehive
  6. a superfine grade or extra large size
  7. a thin loosely woven open-meshed starched cotton fabric used esp. for reinforcing books
  8. very, extremely
    • a super fast car
  9. to an excessive degree

super- -prefix

  1. over and above : higher in quantity, quality, or degree than : more than
    • super human
  2. in addition : extra
    • super tax
  3. exceeding or so as to exceed a norm
    • super heat
  4. in or to an extreme or excessive degree or intensity
    • super subtle
  5. surpassing all or most others of its kind
    • super highway
  6. situated or placed above, on, or at the top of
    • super lunary
  7. situated on the dorsal side of
  8. next above or higher
    • super tonic
  9. having the (specified) ingredient present in a large or unusually large proportion
    • super phosphate
  10. constituting a more inclusive category than that specified
    • super family
  11. superior in status, title, or position
    • super power

su·per·a·ble ['sü-p(ə-)rə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being overcome or conquered

su·per·abound [,sü-pər-ə-'bau̇nd] -vi

  1. to abound or prevail in greater measure or to excess

su·per·abun·dant [-'bən-dənt] -adj, n, adv

  1. excessive

su·per·add [,sü-pər-'ad] -vt

  1. to add esp. in a way that compounds an effect

su·per·agen·cy ['sü-pər-,ā-jən(t)-sē] -n

  1. a large complex governmental agency esp. when set up to supervise other agencies

su·per·al·loy [,sü-pər-'a-,lȯi, -ə-'lȯi] -n

  1. any of various high-strength often complex alloys resistant to high temperature

su·per·al·tern [,sü-pər-'ȯl-tərn] -n

  1. a universal proposition (as every P is Q) that in traditional logic is held to be grounds for the immediate inference of the truth of a corresponding subaltern (as some P is Q)

su·per·an·nu·ate [,sü-pər-'an-yə-,wāt] -vb, n

  1. to make, declare, or prove obsolete or out-of-date
  2. to retire and pension because of age or infirmity
  3. to become retired
  4. to become antiquated

superannuated -adj

  1. outmoded, old-fashioned
    • superannuated slang
    • superannuated planes
  2. incapacitated or disqualified for active duty by advanced age
  3. older than the typical member of a specified group
    • a superannuated graduate student

su·perb [su̇-'pərb] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked to the highest degree by grandeur, excellence, brilliance, or competence

Super Ball -trademark

  1. used for a toy rubber ball with a high bounce

su·per·block [-,bläk] -n

  1. a very large commercial or residential block barred to through traffic, crossed by pedestrian walks and sometimes access roads, and often spotted with grassed malls

Super Bowl -service mark

  1. used for the annual championship game of the National Football League

su·per·bug ['sü-pər-,bəg] -n

  1. a pathogenic microorganism and esp. a bacterium that has developed resistance to the medications normally used against it

su·per·cal·en·der ['sü-pər-,ka-lən-dər] -vt

  1. to process (paper) in a supercalender

supercalender -n

  1. a stack of highly polished calender rolls used to give an extra finish to paper

su·per·car·go [,sü-pər-'kär-(,)gō, 'sü-pər-,] -n

  1. an officer on a merchant ship in charge of the commercial concerns of the voyage

su·per·cede [,sü-pər-'sēd] -vt, n

(variant of supersede)

  1. to cause to be set aside
  2. to force out of use as inferior
  3. to take the place or position of
  4. to displace in favor of another

su·per·cell ['sü-pər-,sel] -n

  1. an unusually large storm cell
  2. a severe storm generated by such a cell

su·per·cen·ter ['sü-pər-,sen-tər] -n

  1. a very large discount department store that also sells a complete line of grocery merchandise

su·per·charge ['sü-pər-,chärj] -vt, n

  1. to charge greatly or excessively (as with vigor or tension)
  2. to supply a charge to the intake of (as an engine) at a pressure higher than that of the surrounding atmosphere
  3. pressurize

su·per·charg·er [-,chär-jər] -n

  1. a device (as a blower or compressor) for pressurizing the cabin of an airplane or for increasing the volume air charge of an internal combustion engine over that which would normally be drawn in through the pumping action of the pistons

su·per·cil·i·ary [,sü-pər-'si-lē-,er-ē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or adjoining the eyebrow : supraorbital

su·per·cil·ious [-'si-lē-əs, -'sil-yəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. coolly and patronizingly haughty

su·per·city ['sü-pər-,si-tē] -n

  1. megalopolis

su·per·class [-,klas] -n

  1. a category in biological classification ranking below a phylum or division and above a class

su·per·clu·ster ['sü-pər-,kləs-tər] -n

  1. a group of gravitationally associated clusters of galaxies

su·per·coil [-,kȯi(-ə)l] -n, vb

  1. a double helix (as of DNA) that has undergone additional twisting in the same direction as or in the opposite direction from the turns in the original helix

su·per·col·lid·er [-kə-,lī-dər] -n

  1. a very large collider capable of accelerating particles to very high energies

su·per·com·put·er [-kəm-,pyü-tər] -n

  1. a large very fast mainframe used esp. for scientific computations

su·per·con·duct [,sü-pər-kən-'dəkt] -vi, adj

  1. to exhibit superconductivity

su·per·con·duc·tiv·i·ty [-,kän-,dək-'ti-və-tē, -kən-] -n

  1. a complete disappearance of electrical resistance in a substance esp. at very low temperatures

su·per·con·ti·nent ['sü-pər-,kän-tə-nənt, -,känt-nənt] -n

  1. a hypothetical former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away

su·per·cool [,sü-pər-'kül] -vt

  1. to cool below the freezing point without solidification or crystallization
  2. to become supercooled

supercool -adj

  1. : extremely cool: as
  2. showing extraordinary reserve and self-control
  3. being the latest style or fashion

su·per·crit·i·cal [-'kri-ti-kəl] -adj

  1. being or having a temperature above a critical temperature
    • supercritical fluid

su·per·cross ['sü-pər-,krȯs] -n

  1. a motorcycle race held in a stadium on a dirt track having hairpin turns and high jumps

su·per·cur·rent ['sü-pər-,kər-ənt, -,kə-rənt] -n

  1. a current of electricity flowing in a superconductor

su·per·del·e·gate ['sü-pər-,de-li-gət] -n

  1. a political party leader or an elected official selected to vote at a presidential nominating convention who may or may not be pledged to support a particular candidate

su·perdu·per ['sü-pər-'dü-pər] -adj

  1. of the greatest excellence, size, effectiveness, or impressiveness

su·per·ego [,sü-pər-'ē-(,)gō also -'e-(,)gō] -n

  1. the one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is only partly conscious, represents internalization of parental conscience and the rules of society, and functions to reward and punish through a system of moral attitudes, conscience, and a sense of guilt

su·per·el·e·vate [-'e-lə-,vāt] -vt

  1. bank

su·per·el·e·va·tion [-,e-lə-'vā-shən] -n

  1. the vertical distance between the heights of inner and outer edges of highway pavement or railroad rails
  2. additional elevation

su·per·er·o·ga·tion [,sü-pər-,er-ə-'gā-shən] -n

  1. the act of performing more than is required by duty, obligation, or need

su·per·erog·a·to·ry [,sü-pər-i-'rä-gə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. observed or performed to an extent not enjoined or required
  2. superfluous

su·per·fam·i·ly ['sü-pər-,fam-lē, -'fa-mə-] -n

  1. a category of biological classification ranking below an order and above a family
  2. a large group of closely related molecules or chemical compounds usu. possessing a similar function

su·per·fat·ted [-,fa-təd] -adj

  1. containing extra oil or fat

su·per·fe·cun·da·tion [,sü-pər-,fe-kən-'dā-shən, -,fē-] -n

  1. successive fertilization of two or more ova from the same ovulation esp. by different sires
  2. fertilization at one time of a number of ova excessive for the species

su·per·fe·ta·tion [-fē-'tā-shən] -n

  1. a progressive accumulation or accretion reaching an excessive degree

su·per·fi·cial [,sü-pər-'fi-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or located near a surface
  2. lying on, not penetrating below, or affecting only the surface
    • superficial wounds
  3. square
    • superficial foot
  4. concerned only with the obvious or apparent : shallow
  5. seen on the surface : external
  6. presenting only an appearance without substance or significance

superficial fascia -n

  1. the thin layer of loose fatty connective tissue underlying the skin and binding it to the parts beneath called also hypodermis

su·per·fi·ci·al·i·ty [,sü-pər-,fi-shē-'a-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being superficial
  2. something superficial

su·per·fi·cies [-'fi-(,)shēz, -shē-,ēz] -n

  1. a surface of a body or a region of space
  2. the external aspects or appearance of a thing

su·per·fine [,sü-pər-'fīn] -adj

  1. overly refined or nice
  2. of extremely fine size or texture
    • superfine toothbrush bristles
    • superfine sugar
  3. of high quality or grade used esp. of merchandise

su·per·fix ['sü-pər-,fiks] -n

  1. a morpheme consisting of a pattern of stress, intonation, or juncture features that are associated with the syllables of a word or phrase (as the distinctive stress patterns of the noun subjectand the verb subject)

su·per·flu·id [,sü-pər-'flü-əd] -n, adj

  1. an unusual state of matter noted only in liquid helium cooled to near absolute zero and characterized by apparently frictionless flow (as through fine holes)

su·per·flu·i·ty [,sü-pər-'flü-ə-tē] -n

  1. excess, oversupply
  2. something unnecessary or superfluous
  3. immoderate and esp. luxurious living, habits, or desires

su·per·flu·ous [su̇-'pər-flü-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. exceeding what is sufficient or necessary : extra
  2. not needed : unnecessary
  3. marked by wastefulness : extravagant

su·per·gene ['sü-pər-,jēn] -n

  1. a group of linked genes acting as an allelic unit esp. when due to the suppression of crossing-over

su·per·gi·ant [-,jī-ənt] -n, adj

  1. something that is extremely large
  2. a star of very great intrinsic luminosity and enormous size

su·per·glue ['sü-pər-,glü] -n, vt

  1. a very strong glue
  2. a glue whose chief ingredient is a cyanoacrylate that becomes adhesive through polymerization rather than evaporation of a solvent

su·per·graph·ics [-,gra-fiks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. billboard-sized graphic shapes usu. of bright color and simple design

su·per·grav·i·ty [,sü-pər-'gra-və-tē] -n

  1. any of various theories in physics that are based on supersymmetry and attempt to unify general relativity and quantum theory and that state that the principal transmitter of gravity is the graviton

su·per·group ['sü-pər-,grüp] -n

  1. a rock group made up of prominent former members of other rock groups
  2. an extremely successful rock group

su·per·heat [,sü-pər-'hēt] -vt, n

  1. to heat (a vapor not in contact with its own liquid) so as to cause to remain free from suspended liquid droplets
    • superheat ed steam
  2. to heat (a liquid) above the boiling point without converting into vapor
  3. the extra heat imparted to a vapor in superheating it from a dry and saturated condition
  4. the corresponding rise of temperature

su·per·heat·ed [-,hē-təd, -'hē-] -adj

  1. subjected to superheating
  2. very hot
  3. exceedingly emotional or intense
    • superheated debate

su·per·hea·vy·weight [,sü-pər-'he-vē-,wāt] -n

  1. an athlete (as an Olympic weightlifter, boxer, or wrestler) who competes in the heaviest class or division

su·per·he·lix ['sü-pər-,hē-liks] -n, adj

  1. supercoil

su·per·hero [-,hir-(,)ō, -,hē-(,)rō] -n

  1. a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers
  2. an exceptionally skillful or successful person

su·per·het·ero·dyne [,sü-pər-'he-tə-rə-,dīn, -'he-trə-] -adj, n

  1. used in or being a radio receiver in which an incoming signal is mixed with a locally generated frequency to produce an ultrasonic signal that is then rectified, amplified, and rectified again to reproduce the sound

su·per·high frequency ['sü-pər-,hī-] -n

  1. a radio frequency in the next to the highest range of the radio spectrum

su·per·high·way [,sü-pər-'hī-,wā, 'sü-pər-,] -n

  1. a multilane highway (as an expressway or turnpike) designed for high-speed traffic
  2. information superhighway

su·per·hu·man [,sü-pər-'hyü-mən, -'yü-] -adj, n, adv

  1. being above the human : divine
    • superhuman beings
  2. exceeding normal human power, size, or capability : herculean
    • a superhuman effort
    • superhuman strength
  3. having such power, size, or capability

su·per·im·pose [,sü-pər-im-'pōz] -vt, adj, n

  1. to place or lay over or above something
    • superimposed images

su·per·in·cum·bent [-in-'kəm-bənt] -adj, adv

  1. lying or resting and usu. exerting pressure on something else

su·per·in·di·vid·u·al [,sü-pər-,in-də-'vij-wəl, -'vi-jə-wəl, -'vi-jəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being an organism, entity, or complex of more than individual complexity or nature

su·per·in·duce [-in-'düs, -'dyüs] -vt, n

  1. to introduce as an addition over or above something already existing
  2. bring on, induce

su·per·in·fec·tion [-in-'fek-shən] -n, vt

  1. reinfection or a second infection with a microbial agent (as a bacterium, fungus, or virus)

su·per·in·tend [,sü-p(ə-)rin-'tend, ,sü-pərn-] -vt

  1. to have or exercise the charge and oversight of : direct

su·per·in·ten·dence [-'ten-dən(t)s] -n

  1. the act or function of superintending or directing : supervision

su·per·in·ten·den·cy [-dən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the office, post, or jurisdiction of a superintendent
  2. superintendence

su·per·in·ten·dent [-dənt] -n, adj

  1. one who has executive oversight and charge

su·pe·ri·or [su̇-'pir-ē-ər] -adj, adv

  1. situated higher up : upper
  2. of higher rank, quality, or importance
  3. courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening)
  4. greater in quantity or numbers
    • escaped by superior speed
  5. excellent of its kind : better
    • her superior memory
  6. being a superscript
  7. situated above or anterior or dorsal to another and esp. a corresponding part
    • a superior artery
  8. : situated above or near the top of another part: as
  9. attached to and apparently arising from the ovary
  10. free from the calyx or other floral envelope
  11. more comprehensive
    • a genus is superior to a species
  12. affecting or assuming an air of superiority : supercilious

superior -n

  1. one who is above another in rank, station, or office
  2. the head of a religious house or order
  3. one that surpasses another in quality or merit
  4. superscript

superior conjunction -n

  1. a conjunction of a planet with the sun in which the sun is aligned between the earth and the planet

superior court -n

  1. a court of general jurisdiction intermediate between the inferior courts (as a justice of the peace court) and the higher appellate courts
  2. a court with juries having original jurisdiction

superior general -n

  1. the superior of a religious order or congregation

su·pe·ri·or·i·ty [su̇-,pir-ē-'ȯr-ə-tē, ,sü-, -'är-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being superior
  2. a superior characteristic

superiority complex -n

  1. an exaggerated opinion of oneself

superior planet -n

  1. a planet (as Jupiter) whose orbit lies outside that of Earth

superior vena cava -n

  1. the branch of the vena cava of a vertebrate that brings blood back from the head and anterior part of the body to the heart

su·per·ja·cent [,sü-pər-'jā-sᵊnt] -adj

  1. lying above or upon : overlying
    • superjacent rocks

su·per·jet ['sü-pər-,jet] -n

  1. a very large jet airplane

su·per·jum·bo ['sü-pər-,jəm-bō] -n

  1. an extremely large passenger jet airplane : superjet

su·per·la·tive [su̇-'pər-lə-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or constituting the degree of grammatical comparison that denotes an extreme or unsurpassed level or extent
  2. surpassing all others : supreme
  3. of very high quality : excellent
    • superlative work
  4. excessive, exaggerated

superlative -n

  1. the superlative degree of comparison in a language
  2. a superlative form of an adjective or adverb
  3. the superlative or utmost degree of something : acme
  4. a superlative person or thing
  5. an admiring sometimes exaggerated expression esp. of praise

su·per·lin·er ['sü-pər-,lī-nər] -n

  1. a fast luxurious passenger liner of great size

su·per·lu·na·ry [,sü-pər-'lü-nə-rē] -adj

  1. being above the moon : celestial

su·per·ma·jor·i·ty ['sü-pər-mə-,jȯr-ə-tē, -,jär-] -n

  1. a majority (as two-thirds or three-fifths) greater than a simple majority

su·per·man ['sü-pər-,man] -n

  1. a superior man that according to Nietzsche has learned to forgo fleeting pleasures and attain happiness and dominance through the exercise of creative power
  2. a person of extraordinary or superhuman power or achievements

su·per·mar·ket [-,mär-kət] -n

  1. a self-service retail market selling esp. foods and household merchandise
  2. something resembling a supermarket esp. in the variety or volume of its goods or services

su·per·mi·cro [-,mī-(,)krō] -n

  1. a very fast and powerful microcomputer

su·per·mini·com·put·er [-'mi-nē-kəm-,pyü-tər] -n

  1. a very fast and powerful minicomputer called also supermini

su·per·mod·el ['sü-pər-,mä-dᵊl] -n

  1. a famous and successful fashion model

su·per·mom ['sü-pər-,mäm] -n

  1. an exemplary mother
  2. a woman who performs the traditional duties of housekeeping and child-rearing while also having a full-time job

su·per·nal [su̇-'pər-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. being or coming from on high
  2. heavenly, ethereal
    • supernal melodies
  3. superlatively good
    • supernal trumpet playing
  4. located in or belonging to the sky

su·per·na·tant [,sü-pər-'nā-tᵊnt] -n, adj

  1. the usu. clear liquid overlying material deposited by settling, precipitation, or centrifugation

su·per·nat·u·ral [,sü-pər-'na-chə-rəl, -'nach-rəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe
  2. of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil
  3. departing from what is usual or normal esp. so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature
  4. attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit)

su·per·nat·u·ral·ism [,sü-pər-'na-chə-rə-,li-zəm, -'nach-rə-] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. the quality or state of being supernatural
  2. belief in a supernatural power and order of existence

su·per·na·ture ['sü-pər-,nā-chər] -n

  1. the realm of the supernatural

su·per·nor·mal [,sü-pər-'nȯr-məl] -adj, n, adv

  1. exceeding the normal or average
  2. being beyond normal human powers : paranormal

su·per·no·va [,sü-pər-'nō-və] -n

  1. the explosion of a star in which the star may reach a maximum intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun
  2. one that explodes into prominence or popularity
  3. superstar

su·per·nu·mer·ary [,sü-pər-'nü-mə-,rer-ē, -'nyü-, -mə-rē; -'n(y)üm-rē] -adj

  1. exceeding the usual, stated, or prescribed number
    • a supernumerary tooth
  2. not enumerated among the regular components of a group and esp. of a military organization
  3. exceeding what is necessary, required, or desired
  4. more numerous

supernumerary -n

  1. a supernumerary person or thing
  2. an actor employed to play a walk-on

su·per·or·der ['sü-pər-,ȯr-dər] -n

  1. a category of biological classification ranking below a class and above an order

su·per·or·di·nate [,sü-pər-'ȯrd-nət, -'ȯr-də-nət, -'ȯr-də-,nāt] -adj

  1. superior in rank, class, or status

su·per·or·gan·ism [-'ȯr-gə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. an organized society (as of a social insect) that functions as an organic whole

su·per·ovu·la·tion [-,äv-yə-'lā-shən, -,ōv-] -n, vb

  1. production of exceptional numbers of ova at one time

su·per·ox·ide [-'äk-,sīd] -n

  1. the monovalent anion O 2 or a compound containing it
    • potassium superoxide KO 2

superoxide dis·mut·ase [-dis-'myü-,tās, -,tāz] -n

  1. a metal-containing antioxidant enzyme that reduces harmful free radicals of oxygen formed during normal metabolic cell processes to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide

su·per·par·a·sit·ism [,sü-pər-'pa-rə-,sī-,ti-zəm, -sə-] -n

  1. parasitization of a host by more than one parasitic individual usu. of one kind used esp. of parasitic insects

su·per·phos·phate [,sü-pər-'fäs-,fāt] -n

  1. an acid phosphate
  2. a soluble mixture of phosphates used as fertilizer and made from insoluble mineral phosphates by treatment with sulfuric acid

su·per·phys·i·cal [-'fi-zi-kəl] -adj

  1. being above or beyond the physical world or explanation on physical principles

su·per·plas·tic [-'plas-tik] -adj, n

  1. capable of plastic deformation under low stress at an elevated temperature used of metals and alloys
  2. of or relating to superplastic materials
    • superplastic molding

su·per·pose [,sü-pər-'pōz] -vt, adj, n

  1. to place or lay over or above whether in or not in contact : superimpose
  2. to lay (as a geometric figure) upon another so as to make all like parts coincide

su·per·posed [-'pōzd] -adj

  1. situated vertically over another layer or part

su·per·pow·er ['sü-pər-,pau̇(-ə)r] -n, adj

  1. excessive or superior power
  2. an extremely powerful nation
  3. one of a very few dominant states in an era when the world is divided politically into these states and their satellites
  4. an international governing body able to enforce its will upon the most powerful states

su·per·sat·u·rate [,sü-pər-'sa-chə-,rāt] -vt

  1. to add to (a solution) beyond saturation

su·per·sat·u·rat·ed [-,rā-təd] -adj

  1. containing an amount of a substance greater than that required for saturation as a result of having been cooled from a higher temperature to a temperature below that at which saturation occurs
    • a supersaturated solution
    • air supersaturated with water vapor

su·per·sat·u·ra·tion [-,sa-chə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. the state of being supersaturated

su·per·scribe ['sü-pər-,skrīb, ,sü-pər-'] -vt

  1. to write (as a name or address) on the outside or cover of : address
  2. to write or engrave on the top or outside

su·per·script ['sü-pər-,skript] -n, adj

  1. a distinguishing symbol (as a numeral or letter) written immediately above or above and to the right or left of another character

su·per·scrip·tion [,sü-pər-'skrip-shən] -n

  1. something written or engraved on the surface of, outside, or above something else : inscription
  2. address
  3. the act of superscribing

su·per·sede [,sü-pər-'sēd] -vt, n

  1. to cause to be set aside
  2. to force out of use as inferior
  3. to take the place or position of
  4. to displace in favor of another

su·per·se·de·as [-'sē-dē-əs] -n

  1. a common-law writ commanding a stay of legal proceedings that is issued under various conditions and esp. to stay an officer from proceeding under another writ
  2. an order staying proceedings of an inferior court

su·per·se·dure [-'sē-jər] -n

  1. the act or process of superseding
  2. the replacement of an old or inferior queen bee by a young or superior queen

su·per·sen·si·ble [,sü-pər-'sen(t)-sə-bəl] -adj

  1. being above or beyond that which is apparent to the senses : spiritual

su·per·sen·so·ry [-'sen(t)-sə-rē, -'sen(t)s-rē] -adj

  1. supersensible

su·per·ser·vice·able [-'sər-və-sə-bəl] -adj

  1. offering unwanted services : officious

su·per·ses·sion [,sü-pər-'se-shən] -n

  1. the act of superseding : the state of being superseded

su·per·size ['sü-pər-,sīz] -vt

  1. to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of

su·per·son·ic [,sü-pər-'sä-nik] -adj, adv

  1. ultrasonic
  2. of, being, or relating to speeds from one to five times the speed of sound in air
  3. moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents moving at supersonic speed
  4. relating to supersonic airplanes or missiles
    • the supersonic age

supersonic -n

  1. a supersonic wave or frequency
  2. a supersonic airplane

su·per·son·ics [,sü-pər-'sä-niks] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. the science of supersonic phenomena

supersonic transport -n

  1. a supersonic transport airplane

su·per·star ['sü-pər-,stär] -n

  1. a star (as in sports or the movies) who is considered extremely talented, has great public appeal, and can usu. command a high salary
  2. one that is very prominent or is a prime attraction
    • a diplomatic superstar

su·per·sti·tion [,sü-pər-'sti-shən] -n

  1. a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation
  2. an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition
  3. a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary

su·per·sti·tious [-'sti-shəs] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or swayed by superstition
    • a superstitious ritual

su·per·store ['sü-pər-,stȯr] -n

  1. a very large store often offering a wide variety of merchandise for sale

su·per·string [-,striŋ] -n

  1. a hypothetical string obeying the rules of supersymmetry whose vibrations manifest themselves as particles existing in ten dimensions of which only four are evident

su·per·struc·ture [-,strək-chər] -n, adj

  1. an entity, concept, or complex based on a more fundamental one
  2. social institutions (as the law or politics) that are in Marxist theory erected upon the economic base
  3. : a structure built as a vertical extension of something else: as
  4. all of a building above the basement
  5. the structural part of a ship above the main deck

su·per·sub·stan·tial [,sü-pər-səb-'stan(t)-shəl] -adj

  1. being above material substance : of a transcending substance

su·per·sym·me·try [-'si-mə-trē] -n, adj

  1. the correspondence between fermions and bosons of identical mass that is postulated to have existed during the opening moments of the big bang and that relates gravity to the other forces of nature

su·per·sys·tem ['sü-pər-,sis-təm] -n

  1. a system that is made up of systems

su·per·tax [-,taks] -n

  1. surtax

su·per·ti·tle ['sü-pər-,tī-tᵊl] -n

  1. a translation of foreign-language dialogue displayed above a screen or performance
    • an opera with supertitle s

su·per·ton·ic [,sü-pər-'tä-nik] -n

  1. the second tone of a major or minor scale

su·per·vene [,sü-pər-'vēn] -vi, n

  1. to follow or result as an additional, adventitious, or unlooked-for development

su·per·ve·nient [-'vē-nyənt] -adj

  1. coming or occurring as something additional, extraneous, or unexpected

su·per·vise ['sü-pər-,vīz] -vt

  1. superintend, oversee

su·per·vi·sion [,sü-pər-'vi-zhən] -n

  1. the action, process, or occupation of supervising
  2. a critical watching and directing (as of activities or a course of action)

su·per·vi·sor ['sü-pər-,vī-zər] -n, adj

  1. one that supervises
  2. an administrative officer in charge of a business, government, or school unit or operation

su·per·wom·an ['sü-pər-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. an exceptional woman
  2. a woman who succeeds in having a career and raising a family

su·pi·nate ['sü-pə-,nāt] -vb

  1. to cause to undergo supination
  2. to undergo supination

su·pi·na·tion [,sü-pə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. rotation of the forearm and hand so that the palm faces forward or upward
  2. a corresponding movement of the foot and leg in which the foot rolls outward with an elevated arch
  3. the position resulting from supination

su·pi·na·tor ['sü-pə-,nā-tər] -n

  1. a muscle that produces the motion of supination

su·pine ['sü-,pīn] -n

  1. a Latin verbal noun having an accusative of purpose in -umand an ablative of specification in -u
  2. an English infinitive with to
  3. lying on the back or with the face upward
  4. marked by supination
  5. exhibiting indolent or apathetic inertia or passivity
  6. mentally or morally slack
  7. leaning or sloping backward

supp -abbr

  1. supplement

sup·per ['sə-pər] -n

  1. the evening meal esp. when dinner is taken at midday
  2. a social affair featuring a supper
  3. an evening social esp. for raising funds
    • a church supper
  4. the food served as a supper
    • eat your supper
  5. a light meal served late in the evening

supper club -n

  1. nightclub

sup·plant [sə-'plant] -vt, n

  1. to supersede (another) esp. by force or treachery
  2. uproot
  3. to eradicate and supply a substitute for
    • efforts to supplant the vernacular
  4. to take the place of and serve as a substitute for esp. by reason of superior excellence or power

sup·ple ['sə-pəl also 'sü-] -adj, adv, n

  1. compliant often to the point of obsequiousness
  2. readily adaptable or responsive to new situations
  3. capable of being bent or folded without creases, cracks, or breaks : pliant
    • supple leather
  4. able to perform bending or twisting movements with ease : limber
    • supple legs of a dancer
  5. easy and fluent without stiffness or awkwardness
    • sang with a lively, supple voice -- Douglas Watt

supple [-p(ə-)liŋ] -vb

  1. to make pacific or complaisant
    • supple the tempers of your race -- Laurence Sterne
  2. to alleviate with a salve
  3. to make flexible or pliant
  4. to become soft and pliant

sup·ple·jack ['sə-pəl-,jak also 'sü-] -n

  1. any of various woody climbers having tough pliant stems
  2. a southern U.S. vine ( Berchemia scandens) of the buckthorn family

sup·ple·ment ['sə-plə-mənt] -n

  1. something that completes or makes an addition
  2. dietary supplement
  3. a part added to or issued as a continuation of a book or periodical to correct errors or make additions
  4. an angle or arc that when added to a given angle or arc equals 180
  5. to add or serve as a supplement to
    • does odd jobs to supplement his income

sup·ple·men·tal [,sə-plə-'men-tᵊl] -adj, n

  1. serving to supplement
  2. nonscheduled
    • a supplemental airline

sup·ple·men·ta·ry [,sə-plə-'men-tə-rē, -'men-trē] -adj

  1. added or serving as a supplement : additional
    • supplementary reading
  2. being or relating to a supplement or a supplementary angle

supplementary angle -n

  1. one of two angles or arcs whose sum is 180 usu. used in pl.

sup·ple·tion [sə-'plē-shən] -n, adj

  1. the occurrence of phonemically unrelated allomorphs of the same morpheme (as wentas the past tense of goor betteras the comparative form of good)

sup·ple·to·ry [sə-'plē-tə-rē; 'sə-plə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. supplying deficiencies : supplementary
    • rules suppletory to the contract

sup·pli·ance ['sə-plē-ən(t)s] -n

  1. entreaty, supplication

sup·pli·ant [-ənt] -n

  1. supplicant

suppliant -adj, adv

  1. humbly imploring : entreating
    • a suppliant sinner seeking forgiveness -- O. J. Baab
  2. expressing supplication
    • upraised to the heavens...suppliant arms -- William Styron

sup·pli·cant ['sə-pli-kənt] -n

  1. one who supplicates

supplicant -adj

  1. suppliant

sup·pli·cate ['sə-plə-,kāt] -vb, n

  1. to make a humble entreaty
  2. to pray to God
  3. to ask humbly and earnestly of
  4. to ask for earnestly and humbly

sup·pli·ca·to·ry ['sə-pli-kə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. expressing supplication : suppliant
    • a supplicatory prayer

sup·ply [sə-'plī] -vb, n

  1. to add as a supplement
  2. to provide for : satisfy
    • laws by which the material wants of men are supplied -- Bull. of Bates Coll.
  3. to make available for use : provide
    • supplied the necessary funds
  4. to satisfy the needs or wishes of
  5. to furnish (organs, tissues, or cells) with a vital element (as blood or nerve fibers)
  6. to substitute for another in
  7. to serve as a supply in (a church or pulpit)
  8. to serve as a supply or substitute

supply -n

  1. assistance, succor
  2. reinforcements often used in pl.
  3. a member of the clergy filling a vacant pulpit temporarily
  4. the quantity or amount (as of a commodity) needed or available
    • beer was in short supply in that hot weather -- Nevil Shute
  5. provisions, stores usu. used in pl.
  6. the act or process of filling a want or need
    • engaged in the supply of raw materials to industry
  7. the quantities of goods or services offered for sale at a particular time or at one price
  8. something that maintains or constitutes a supply

sup·plyside [sə-'plī-'sīd] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or being an economic theory that reduction of tax rates encourages more earnings, savings, and investment and thereby expands economic activity and the total taxable national income

sup·port [sə-'pȯrt] -vt, n, adj

  1. to endure bravely or quietly : bear
  2. to promote the interests or cause of
  3. to uphold or defend as valid or right : advocate
    • support s fair play
  4. to argue or vote for
    • support ed the motion to lower taxes
  5. assist, help
    • bombers support ed the ground troops
  6. to act with (a star actor)
  7. to bid in bridge so as to show support for
  8. to provide with substantiation : corroborate
    • support an alibi
  9. to pay the costs of : maintain
    • support a family
  10. to provide a basis for the existence or subsistence of
    • the island could probably support three -- A. B. C. Whipple
    • support a habit
  11. to hold up or serve as a foundation or prop for
  12. to maintain (a price) at a desired level by purchases or loans
  13. to maintain the price of by purchases or loans
  14. to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage : comfort
  15. to keep (something) going

support -n

  1. the act or process of supporting : the condition of being supported
  2. assistance provided by a company to users of its products
    • customer support
  3. one that supports often used attributively
    • a support staff
  4. sufficient strength in a suit bid by one's partner in bridge to justify raising the suit

sup·port·er [sə-'pȯr-tər] -n

  1. : one that supports or acts as a support: as
  2. adherent, partisan
  3. one of two figures (as of men or animals) placed one on each side of an escutcheon and exterior to it
  4. garter
  5. athletic supporter

support group -n

  1. a group of people with common experiences and concerns who provide emotional and moral support for one another

support hose -n

  1. elastic stockings worn esp. to provide mild compression of the leg (as to prevent formation of varicose veins)

support level -n

  1. a price level on a declining market at which a security resists further decline due to increased attractiveness to traders and investors called also support area

support system -n

  1. a network of people who provide an individual with practical or emotional support

sup·pos·able [sə-'pō-zə-bəl] -adj, adv

  1. capable of being supposed : conceivable

sup·pos·al [-'pō-zəl] -n

  1. the act or process of supposing
  2. something supposed : hypothesis, supposition

sup·pose [sə-'pōz, oftenest afterI ” 'spōz] -vb

  1. to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or proposal
    • suppose a fire broke out
    • suppose you bring the salad
  2. to hold as an opinion : believe
    • they supposed they were early
  3. to think probable or in keeping with the facts
    • seems reasonable to suppose that he would profit
  4. conceive, imagine
  5. to have a suspicion of
  6. presuppose
  7. conjecture, opine

sup·posed [sə-'pōzd; 1b & 2a usu -'pō-zəd, 3 & 4 often -'pōst] -adj, adv

  1. pretended
    • twelve hours are supposed to elapse between Acts I and II -- A. S. Sullivan
  2. alleged
    • trusted my supposed friends
  3. held as an opinion : believed
  4. mistakenly believed : imagined
    • the sight which makes supposed terror true -- Shak.
  5. considered probable or certain : expected
    • it was not supposed that everybody could master the technical aspects -- J. C. Murray
  6. understood
    • you will be supposed to refer to my grandaunt -- G. B. Shaw
  7. made or fashioned by intent or design
    • what's that button supposed to do
  8. required by or as if by authority
    • soldiers are supposed to obey their commanding officers
  9. given permission : permitted
    • was not supposed to have visitors

supposing -conj

  1. if by way of hypothesis : on the assumption that
    • supposing I did agree with you

sup·po·si·tion [,sə-pə-'zi-shən] -n, adj

  1. something that is supposed : hypothesis
  2. the act of supposing

sup·po·si·tious [-'zi-shəs] -adj

  1. supposititious

sup·pos·i·ti·tious [sə-,pä-zə-'ti-shəs] -adj, adv

  1. fraudulently substituted : spurious
  2. falsely presented as a genuine heir
  3. illegitimate
  4. imaginary
  5. of the nature of or based on a supposition : hypothetical

sup·pos·i·to·ry [sə-'pä-zə-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. a solid but readily meltable cone or cylinder of usu. medicated material for insertion into a bodily passage or cavity (as the rectum)

sup·press [sə-'pres] -vt, n, adj

  1. to put down by authority or force : subdue
    • suppress a riot
  2. : to keep from public knowledge: as
  3. to keep secret
  4. to stop or prohibit the publication or revelation of
    • suppress the test results
  5. to exclude from consciousness
  6. to keep from giving vent to : check
    • suppress ed her anger
  7. to press down
  8. to restrain from a usual course or action
    • suppress a cough
  9. to inhibit the growth or development of
  10. to inhibit the genetic expression of
    • suppress a mutation

sup·pres·sant [sə-'pre-sᵊnt] -n

  1. an agent (as a drug) that tends to suppress or reduce in intensity rather than eliminate something

sup·pres·sion [sə-'pre-shən] -n

  1. an act or instance of suppressing : the state of being suppressed
  2. the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling

sup·pres·sor [-'pre-sər] -n

  1. one that suppresses
  2. a mutant gene that suppresses the expression of another nonallelic mutant gene when both are present

suppressor T cell -n

  1. a T cell that suppresses the immune response of B cells and other T cells to an antigen called also suppressor cell

sup·pu·rate ['sə-pyə-,rāt] -vi, n, adj

  1. to form or discharge pus

su·pra ['sü-prə, -,prä] -adv

  1. earlier in this writing : above

supra- -prefix

  1. super-
    • supra orbital
  2. transcending
    • supra national

su·pra·chi·as·mat·ic nucleus [,sü-prə-,kī-əz-'ma-tik-] -n

  1. either of a pair of neuron clusters in the hypothalamus situated directly above the optic chiasma that receive photic input from the retina via the optic nerve and that regulate the body's circadian rhythms

su·pra·lim·i·nal [,sü-prə-'li-mə-nᵊl, -,prä-] -adj

  1. existing above the threshold of consciousness
  2. adequate to evoke a response or induce a sensation

su·pra·mo·lec·u·lar [-mə-'le-kyə-lər] -adj

  1. more complex than a molecule
  2. composed of many molecules

su·pra·na·tion·al [-'nash-nəl, -'na-shə-nᵊl] -adj, n

  1. transcending national boundaries, authority, or interests
    • a supranational authority, regulating ocean usage -- N. H. Jacoby

su·pra·op·tic [-'äp-tik] -adj

  1. situated above the optic chiasma
  2. being a small nucleus of closely packed neurons overlying the optic chiasma and intimately connected with the neurohypophysis

su·pra·or·bit·al [-'ȯr-bə-tᵊl] -adj

  1. situated or occurring above the orbit of the eye

su·pra·ra·tio·nal [-'rash-nəl, -'ra-shə-nᵊl] -adj

  1. transcending the rational : based on or involving factors not to be comprehended by reason alone
    • the stars inspire suprarational dreams -- R. J. Dubos

su·pra·re·nal [-'rē-nᵊl] -adj

  1. situated above or anterior to the kidneys

suprarenal -n

  1. a suprarenal part
  2. adrenal gland

suprarenal gland -n

  1. adrenal gland

su·pra·seg·men·tal [,sü-prə-seg-'men-tᵊl, -,prä-] -adj

  1. of or relating to significant features (as stress, pitch, or juncture) that occur simultaneously with vowels and consonants in an utterance

sup·ra·ven·tric·u·lar [-ven-'tri-kyə-lər, -vən-] -adj

  1. relating to or being a rhythmic abnormality of the heart caused by impulses originating above the ventricles
    • supraventricular tachycardia

su·pra·vi·tal [-'vī-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. having or utilizing the property of staining cells or tissues removed from a living body
    • supravital dyes

su·prem·a·cist [sə-'pre-mə-sist, sü-] -n

  1. an advocate or adherent of group supremacy
  2. white supremacist

su·prem·a·cy [sə-'pre-mə-sē, sü- also -'prē-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being supreme
  2. supreme authority or power

su·prem·a·tism [-mə-,ti-zəm] -n, adj or n

  1. an early 20th century art movement in Russia producing abstract works featuring flat geometric forms

su·preme [sə-'prēm, sü-] -adj, adv, n

  1. highest in rank or authority
    • the supreme commander
  2. highest in degree or quality
    • supreme endurance in war and in labour -- R. W. Emerson
  3. ultimate, final
    • the supreme sacrifice

Supreme Being -n

  1. god

supreme court -n

  1. the highest judicial tribunal in a political unit (as a nation or state)
  2. a court of original jurisdiction in New York state subordinate to a final court of appeals

Supreme Soviet -n

  1. the highest legislative body of a nation (as the former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics)

su·pre·mo [sə-'prē-(,)mō, sü-] -n

  1. one who is highest in rank or authority

supt -abbr

  1. superintendent

suq ['sük] -n

(variant of souk)

  1. a marketplace in northern Africa or the Middle East
  2. a stall in such a marketplace

sur- -prefix

  1. over : super-
    • sur print
    • sur tax
  2. above : up
    • sur base

su·ra ['su̇r-ə] -n

  1. a chapter of the Koran

su·rah ['su̇r-ə] -n

  1. a soft twilled fabric of silk or rayon

sur·cease [(,)sər-'sēs, 'sər-,] -vb

  1. to desist from action
  2. to come to an end : cease
  3. to put an end to : discontinue
  4. cessation
  5. a temporary respite or end
    • to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow -- E. A. Poe

sur·charge ['sər-,chärj] -vt

  1. overcharge
  2. to charge an extra fee
  3. to show an omission in (an account) for which credit ought to have been given
  4. overstock
  5. to fill or load to excess
    • the atmosphere...was surcharged with war hysteria -- H. A. Chippendale
  6. to mark a surcharge on (a stamp)
  7. overprint
    • surcharge a banknote

surcharge -n

  1. an additional tax, cost, or impost
  2. an extra fare
    • a sleeping car surcharge
  3. an instance of surcharging an account
  4. an excessive load or burden
  5. the action of surcharging : the state of being surcharged
  6. an overprint on a stamp
  7. one that alters the denomination
  8. a stamp bearing such an overprint
  9. an overprint on a currency note

sur·cin·gle ['sər-,siŋ-gəl] -n

  1. a belt, band, or girth passing around the body of a horse to bind a saddle or pack fast to the horse's back
  2. the cincture of a cassock

sur·coat ['sər-,kōt] -n

  1. an outer coat or cloak
  2. a tunic worn over armor

surd ['sərd] -adj

  1. lacking sense : irrational
    • surd conceits of scripture's sense -- Thomas Jackson
  2. voiceless used of speech sounds
  3. an irrational root (as 3)
  4. irrational number
  5. a surd speech sound

sure ['shu̇r, esp Southern 'shȯr] -adj, n

  1. safe from danger or harm
  2. firmly established : steadfast
    • a sure hold
  3. reliable, trustworthy
    • a sure friend
  4. marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty
    • I'm sure I'm right
  5. characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation
    • sure brush strokes
    • a sure hand
  6. admitting of no doubt : indisputable
    • spoke from sure knowledge
  7. bound to happen : inevitable
    • sure disaster
  8. bound, destined
    • is sure to win
  9. careful to remember, attend to, or find out something
    • be sure to lock the door
  10. surely

sureenough ['shu̇r-ə-'nəf] -adj

  1. actual, genuine, real

sure enough -adv

  1. as one might expect : certainly

sure·fire ['shu̇r-'fī(-ə)r] -adj

  1. certain to get successful or expected results
    • a surefire recipe

surefoot·ed [-'fu̇-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. not liable to stumble, fall, or err

surehand·ed [-'han-dəd] -adj, n

  1. proficient and confident in performance esp. using the hands

sure·ly ['shu̇r-lē, esp Southern 'shȯr-] -adv

  1. : in a sure manner:
  2. without danger or risk of injury or loss : safely
  3. with assurance : confidently
    • answered quickly and surely
  4. without doubt : certainly
    • they will surely be heard from in the future -- R. J. Lifton
  5. indeed, really often used as an intensive
    • you surely don't believe that

sure thing -n

  1. one that is certain to succeed : a sure bet

sure·ty ['shu̇r(-ə)-tē] -n

  1. : the state of being sure: as
  2. sure knowledge : certainty
  3. confidence in manner or behavior : assurance
  4. a formal engagement (as a pledge) given for the fulfillment of an undertaking : guarantee
  5. a basis of confidence or security
  6. one who has become legally liable for the debt, default, or failure in duty of another

surety bond -n

  1. a bond guaranteeing performance of a contract or obligation

surf ['sərf] -n

  1. the swell of the sea that breaks upon the shore
  2. the foam, splash, and sound of breaking waves
  3. to ride the surf (as on a surfboard)
  4. to scan a wide range of offerings for something of interest
  5. to scan the offerings of (as television or the Internet) for something of interest

sur·face ['sər-fəs] -n

  1. the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body
    • on the surface of the water
    • the earth's surface
  2. a plane or curved two-dimensional locus of points (as the boundary of a three-dimensional region)
    • plane surface
    • surface of a sphere
  3. the external or superficial aspect of something
    • trouble lurks below the surface
  4. an external part or layer
    • sanded the rough surface s

surface -adj

  1. of, located on, or designed for use at the surface of something
  2. situated, transported, or employed on the surface of the earth
    • surface mail
    • surface vehicles
  3. appearing to be such on the surface only : superficial
    • surface friendships
  4. : to give a surface to: as
  5. to plane or make smooth
  6. to apply the surface layer to
    • surface a highway
  7. to bring to the surface
    • surface a sunken ship
  8. to work on or at the surface
  9. to come to the surface
  10. to come into public view : show up
    • letters that have recently surfaced

surfaceactive -adj

  1. altering the properties and esp. lowering the tension at the surface of contact between phases
    • soaps and wetting agents are typical surfaceactive substances

surface of revolution

  1. a surface formed by the revolution of a plane curve about a line in its plane

sur·facerip·ened ['sər-fəs-,rī-pənd, -,rī-pᵊmd] -adj

  1. ripened by the action of microorganisms (as molds) on the surface

surface structure -n

  1. a formal representation of the phonetic form of a sentence
  2. the structure which such a representation describes

surface tension -n

  1. the attractive force exerted upon the surface molecules of a liquid by the molecules beneath that tends to draw the surface molecules into the bulk of the liquid and makes the liquid assume the shape having the least surface area

surfacetoair -adj

  1. launched from the ground against a target in the air

surfacing -n

  1. material forming or used to form a surface

sur·fac·tant [(,)sər-'fak-tənt, 'sər-,] -n, adj

  1. a surface-active substance (as a detergent)

surf and turf -n

  1. seafood and steak served as a single course

surf·bird ['sərf-,bərd] -n

  1. a shorebird ( Aphriza virgata) of the sandpiper family that occurs along the Pacific coasts of America and has a black-tipped white tail

surf·board [-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a long narrow buoyant board (as of lightweight wood or fiberglass-covered foam) used in the sport of surfing

surf·boat [-,bōt] -n

  1. a boat for use in heavy surf

surf casting -n

  1. a method of fishing in which artificial or natural bait is cast into the open ocean or in a bay where waves break on a beach

surf clam -n

  1. any of various typically rather large surf-dwelling edible clams (family Mactridae)
  2. a common clam ( Spisula solidissima) of the Atlantic coast chiefly from Nova Scotia to So. Carolina

sur·feit ['sər-fət] -n

  1. an overabundant supply : excess
  2. an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (as food or drink)
  3. disgust caused by excess

surfeit -vt, n

  1. to feed, supply, or give to surfeit
  2. to indulge to satiety in a gratification (as indulgence of the appetite or senses)

sur·fi·cial [,sər-'fi-shəl] -adj

  1. of or relating to a surface
    • surficial geologic processes

surf·ing ['sər-fiŋ] -n

  1. the sport of riding the surf esp. on a surfboard

surf·man ['sərf-mən] -n

  1. one who is skilled in handling a boat in surf

surf·perch ['sərf-,pərch] -n

  1. any of a family (Embiotocidae) of small or medium-sized viviparous bony fishes chiefly of shallow water along the Pacific coast of No. America that resemble the perches

surg -abbr

  1. surgeon; surgery; surgical

surge ['sərj] -vb

  1. to rise and fall actively : toss
    • a ship surging in heavy seas
  2. to rise and move in waves or billows : swell
    • the sea was surging
  3. to slip around a windlass, capstan, or bitts used esp. of a rope
  4. to rise suddenly to an excessive or abnormal value
    • the stock market surged to a record high
  5. to move with a surge or in surges
    • felt the blood surging into his face -- Harry Hervey
    • she surged past the other runners
  6. to let go or slacken gradually (as a rope)
  7. a swelling, rolling, or sweeping forward like that of a wave or series of waves
    • a surge of interest
  8. a large wave or billow : swell
  9. a series of such swells or billows
  10. the resulting elevation of water level
  11. a movement (as a slipping or slackening) of a rope or cable
  12. a sudden jerk or strain caused by such a movement
  13. a transient sudden rise of current or voltage in an electrical circuit

sur·geon ['sər-jən] -n

  1. a medical specialist who practices surgery

sur·geon·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. any of a family (Acanthuridae) of tropical bony fishes that have a laterally compressed body and typically a movable spine on each side of the body near the base of the tail capable of inflicting a painful wound

surgeon general -n

  1. the chief medical officer of a branch of the armed services or of a public health service

surgeon's knot -n

  1. a reef knot in which the first knot has two turns

sur·gery ['sərj-rē, 'sər-jə-] -n

  1. a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures
  2. alterations made as if by surgery
    • literary surgery
  3. a physician's or dentist's office
  4. a room or area where surgery is performed
  5. the work done by a surgeon
  6. operation

sur·gi·cal ['sər-ji-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to surgeons or surgery
    • surgical skills
  2. used in or in connection with surgery
    • surgical gauze
  3. following or resulting from surgery
    • surgical fevers
  4. characteristic of or resembling surgery or a surgeon esp. in control or incisiveness
    • surgical precision

su·ri·mi [su̇-'rē-mē] -n

  1. a fish product made from inexpensive whitefish and often processed to resemble more expensive seafood (as crabmeat)

sur·jec·tion [(,)sər-'jek-shən] -n

  1. a mathematical function that is an onto mapping

sur·jec·tive [-'jek-tiv] -adj

  1. onto
    • a set of surjective functions

sur·ly ['sər-lē] -adj, adv, n

  1. menacing or threatening in appearance
    • surly weather
  2. arrogant, imperious
  3. irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner : crabbed

sur·mise [sər-'mīz, 'sər-,] -n

  1. a thought or idea based on scanty evidence : conjecture
  2. to form a notion of from scanty evidence : imagine, infer

sur·mount [sər-'mau̇nt] -vt, adj

  1. to surpass in quality or attainment : excel
  2. to prevail over : overcome
    • surmount an obstacle
  3. to get to the top of : climb
  4. to stand or lie at the top of

sur·name ['sər-,nām] -n

  1. an added name derived from occupation or other circumstance : nickname
  2. the name borne in common by members of a family

surname -vt

  1. to give a surname to

sur·pass [sər-'pas] -vt, adj

  1. to become better, greater, or stronger than : exceed
    • surpass ed her rivals
    • surpass ed all expectations
  2. to go beyond : overstep
  3. to transcend the reach, capacity, or powers of
    • a beauty that surpass es description

sur·pass·ing [sər-'pa-siŋ] -adj, adv

  1. greatly exceeding others : of a very high degree

sur·plice ['sər-pləs] -n

  1. a loose white outer ecclesiastical vestment usu. of knee length with large open sleeves

surplice -adj

  1. having a diagonally overlapping neckline or closing
    • a surplice collar
    • surplice sweaters

sur·plus ['sər-(,)pləs] -n, adj

  1. the amount that remains when use or need is satisfied
  2. an excess of receipts over disbursements
  3. the excess of a corporation's net worth over the par or stated value of its stock

sur·plus·age [-(,)plə-sij] -n

  1. surplus
  2. excessive or nonessential matter
  3. matter introduced in legal pleading which is not necessary or relevant to the case

surplus value -n

  1. the difference in Marxist theory between the value of work done or of commodities produced by labor and the usu. subsistence wages paid by the employer

sur·print ['sər-,print] -vt, n

  1. overprint

sur·pris·al [sə(r)-'prī-zəl] -n

  1. the action of surprising : the state of being surprised

sur·prise [sə(r)-'prīz] -n

  1. an attack made without warning
  2. a taking unawares
  3. something that surprises
  4. the state of being surprised : astonishment

surprise -vb, n

  1. to attack unexpectedly
  2. to capture by an unexpected attack
  3. to take unawares
    • police surprised the burglars in the store
  4. to detect or elicit by a taking unawares
    • sometimes surprised a tragic shadow in her eyes -- Willa Cather
  5. to strike with wonder or amazement esp. because unexpected
    • his conduct surprised me
  6. to cause astonishment or surprise
    • her success didn't surprise

surprising -adj

  1. of a nature that excites surprise

sur·pris·ing·ly [sə(r)-'prī-ziŋ-lē] -adv

  1. in a surprising manner : to a surprising degree
    • a surprisingly fast runner
  2. it is surprising that
    • surprisingly, voter turnout was high

sur·ra ['su̇r-ə] -n

  1. a serious tropical or subtropical disease of domestic animals that is caused by a trypanosome ( Trypanosoma evansi), is transmitted by biting flies, and is marked esp. by fever, anemia, edema, emaciation, and petechiae

sur·re·al [sə-'rē(-ə)l also -'rā-əl] -adj, n, adv

  1. marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream
  2. unbelievable, fantastic
    • surreal sums of money
  3. surrealistic

sur·re·al·ism [sə-'rē-ə-,li-zəm also -'rā-] -n, n or adj

  1. the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations

sur·re·al·is·tic [-,rē-ə-'lis-tik also -,rā-] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to surrealism
  2. having a strange dreamlike atmosphere or quality like that of a surrealist painting

sur·re·but·ter [,sər-(r)i-'bə-tər] -n

  1. the reply in common law pleading of a plaintiff to a defendant's rebutter

sur·re·join·der [-(r)i-'jȯin-dər] -n

  1. the reply in common law pleading of a plaintiff to a defendant's rejoinder

sur·ren·der [sə-'ren-dər] -vb

  1. to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand
    • surrender ed the fort
  2. to give up completely or agree to forgo esp. in favor of another
  3. to give (oneself) up into the power of another esp. as a prisoner
  4. to give (oneself) over to something (as an influence)
  5. to give oneself up into the power of another : yield

surrender -n

  1. the action of yielding one's person or giving up the possession of something esp. into the power of another
  2. the relinquishment by a patentee of rights or claims under a patent
  3. the delivery of a principal into lawful custody by bail called also surrender by bail
  4. the voluntary cancellation of the legal liability of an insurance company by the insured and beneficiary for a consideration
  5. the delivery of a fugitive from justice by one government to another
  6. an instance of surrendering

sur·rep·ti·tious [,sər-əp-'ti-shəs, ,sə-rəp-, sə-,rep-] -adj, adv

  1. done, made, or acquired by stealth : clandestine
  2. acting or doing something clandestinely : stealthy
    • a surreptitious glance

sur·rey ['sər-ē, 'sə-rē] -n

  1. a four-wheel two-seated horse-drawn pleasure carriage

sur·ro·ga·cy ['sər-ə-gə-sē] -n

  1. the practice of serving as a surrogate mother

sur·ro·gate ['sər-ə-,gāt, 'sə-rə-] -vt

  1. : to put in the place of another:
  2. to appoint as successor, deputy, or substitute for oneself
  3. substitute
  4. one appointed to act in place of another : deputy
  5. a local judicial officer in some states (as New York) who has jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the settlement of estates, and the appointment and supervision of guardians
  6. one that serves as a substitute
  7. surrogate mother

surrogate mother -n

  1. a woman who becomes pregnant usu. by artificial insemination or surgical implantation of a fertilized egg for the purpose of carrying the fetus to term for another woman

sur·round [sə-'rau̇nd] -vt

  1. to enclose on all sides : envelop
    • the crowd surround ed her
  2. to enclose so as to cut off communication or retreat : invest
  3. to form or be a member of the entourage of
    • flatterers who surround the king
  4. to constitute part of the environment of
    • surround ed by poverty
  5. to extend around the margin or edge of : encircle
    • a wall surround s the old city
  6. to cause to be surrounded by something
    • surround ed himself with friends

surround -n

  1. something (as a border or ambient environment) that surrounds
    • from urban centre to rural surround -- Emrys Jones

sur·round·ings [sə-'rau̇n-diŋz] -n pl

  1. the circumstances, conditions, or objects by which one is surrounded : environment

surround sound -n

  1. sound reproduction that often uses three or more transmission channels to enhance the illusion of a live hearing

sur·sum cor·da [,su̇r-səm-'kȯr-də, -,dä] -n

  1. a versicle that in traditional eucharistic liturgies exhorts the faithful to enthusiastic worship
  2. something inspiriting

sur·tax ['sər-,taks] -n

  1. an extra tax or charge
  2. a graduated income tax in addition to the normal income tax imposed on the amount by which one's net income exceeds a specified sum

sur·tout [(,)sər-'tü, 'sər-,] -n

  1. a man's long close-fitting overcoat

surv -abbr

  1. survey

sur·veil [sər-'vāl] -vt

  1. to subject to surveillance

sur·veil·lance [sər-'vā-lən(t)s also -'vāl-yən(t)s or -'vā-ən(t)s] -n

  1. close watch kept over someone or something (as by a detective)
  2. supervision

sur·veil·lant [-'vā-lənt also -'vāl-yənt or -'vā-ənt] -n

  1. one that exercises surveillance

sur·vey [sər-'vā, 'sər-,] -vb

  1. to examine as to condition, situation, or value : appraise
  2. to query (someone) in order to collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group or area
  3. to determine and delineate the form, extent, and position of (as a tract of land) by taking linear and angular measurements and by applying the principles of geometry and trigonometry
  4. to view or consider comprehensively
  5. inspect, scrutinize
    • he survey ed us in a lordly way -- Alan Harrington
  6. to make a survey
  7. : the act or an instance of surveying: as
  8. a broad treatment of a subject
  9. poll
  10. something that is surveyed

survey course ['sər-,vā-] -n

  1. a course treating briefly the chief topics of a broad field of knowledge

surveying -n

  1. a branch of applied mathematics that is concerned with determining the area of any portion of the earth's surface, the lengths and directions of the bounding lines, and the contour of the surface and with accurately delineating the whole on paper

sur·vey·or [sər-'vā-ər] -n

  1. one that surveys
  2. one whose occupation is surveying land

sur·viv·able [sər-'vī-və-bəl] -adj, n

  1. resulting in or permitting survival

sur·viv·al [sər-'vī-vəl] -n

  1. the act or fact of living or continuing longer than another person or thing
  2. the continuation of life or existence
    • problems of survival in arctic conditions
  3. one that survives

sur·viv·al·ism [sər-'vī-və-,li-zəm] -n

  1. an attitude, policy, or practice based on the primacy of survival as a value

sur·viv·al·ist [-və-list] -n, adj

  1. a person who advocates or practices survivalism
  2. one who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society

survival of the fittest

  1. natural selection

sur·viv·ance [sər-'vī-vən(t)s] -n

  1. survival

sur·vive [sər-'vīv] -vb, n

  1. to remain alive or in existence : live on
  2. to continue to function or prosper
  3. to remain alive after the death of
    • he is survived by his wife
  4. to continue to exist or live after
    • survived the earthquake
  5. to continue to function or prosper despite : withstand
    • they survived many hardships

sur·viv·er [-'vī-vər] -n

  1. one that survives : survivor

sur·vi·vor·ship [-'vī-vər-,ship] -n

  1. the legal right of the survivor of persons having joint interests in property to take the interest of the person who has died
  2. the state of being a survivor : survival
  3. the probability of surviving to a particular age
  4. the number or proportion of survivors (as of an age group or population)

Su·san B An·tho·ny Day ['sü-zᵊn-,bē-'an(t)-thə-nē-] -n

  1. February 15 observed to commemorate the birth of Susan B. Anthony

sus·cep·ti·bil·i·ty [sə-,sep-tə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being susceptible
  2. lack of ability to resist some extraneous agent (as a pathogen or drug) : sensitivity
  3. a susceptible temperament or constitution
  4. feelings, sensibilities
  5. the ratio of the magnetization in a substance to the corresponding magnetizing force
  6. the ratio of the electric polarization to the electric intensity in a polarized dielectric

sus·cep·ti·ble [sə-'sep-tə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of submitting to an action, process, or operation
    • a theory susceptible to proof
  2. open, subject, or unresistant to some stimulus, influence, or agency
    • susceptible to pneumonia
  3. impressionable, responsive
    • a susceptible mind

su·shi ['sü-shē also 'su̇-] -n

  1. cold rice dressed with vinegar, formed into any of various shapes, and garnished esp. with bits of raw seafood or vegetables

su·slik ['sü-slik] -n

  1. any of several rather large short-tailed ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus) of eastern Europe or northern Asia
  2. the mottled grayish-black fur of a suslik

sus·pect ['səs-,pekt, sə-'spekt] -adj

  1. regarded or deserving to be regarded with suspicion : suspected
    • investigates suspect employees
  2. doubtful, questionable
    • whose skills are suspect -- Peter Vecsey
  3. one that is suspected
  4. a person suspected of a crime
  5. to imagine (one) to be guilty or culpable on slight evidence or without proof
    • suspect him of giving false information
  6. to have doubts of : distrust
    • suspect s her motives
  7. to imagine to exist or be true, likely, or probable
    • I suspect he's right
  8. to imagine something to be true or likely

sus·pend [sə-'spend] -vb

  1. to debar temporarily esp. from a privilege, office, or function
    • suspend a student from school
  2. to cause to stop temporarily
    • suspend bus service
  3. to set aside or make temporarily inoperative
    • suspend the rules
  4. to defer to a later time on specified conditions
    • suspend sentence
  5. to hold in an undetermined or undecided state awaiting further information
    • suspend judgment
    • suspend disbelief
  6. hang
  7. to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support
    • suspend a ball by a thread
  8. to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support (as buoyancy)
    • dust suspend ed in the air
  9. to put or hold in suspension
    • suspend ed sediment
  10. to keep fixed or lost (as in wonder or contemplation)
  11. to keep waiting in suspense or indecision
  12. to hold (a musical note) over into the following chord
  13. to cease operation temporarily
  14. to stop payment or fail to meet obligations
  15. hang

suspended animation -n

  1. temporary suspension of the vital functions (as in persons nearly drowned)
  2. a condition (as inactivity) likened to suspended animation

sus·pend·er [sə-'spen-dər] -n, adj

  1. one that suspends
  2. : a device by which something may be suspended: as
  3. one of two supporting bands worn across the shoulders to support trousers, skirt, or belt usu. used in pl. and often with pair
  4. a fastener attached to a garment or garter to hold up a stocking or sock
  5. a device consisting of garter and fastener

sus·pense [sə-'spen(t)s] -n, adj, adv

  1. the state of being suspended : suspension
  2. mental uncertainty : anxiety
  3. pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome
    • a novel of suspense
  4. the state or character of being undecided or doubtful : indecisiveness

suspense account -n

  1. an account for the temporary entry of charges or credits or esp. of doubtful accounts receivable pending determination of their ultimate disposition

sus·pens·er [sə-'spen(t)-sər] -n

  1. a suspenseful film

sus·pen·sion [sə-'spen(t)-shən] -n

  1. : the act of suspending : the state or period of being suspended: as
  2. temporary removal (as from office or privileges)
  3. temporary withholding (as of belief or decision)
  4. temporary abrogation of a law or rule
  5. the holding over of one or more musical tones of a chord into the following chord producing a momentary discord and suspending the concord which the ear expects
  6. such a dissonance which resolves downward
  7. the tone thus held over
  8. stoppage of payment of business obligations : failure used esp. of a business or a bank
  9. a rhetorical device whereby the principal idea is deferred to the end of a sentence or longer unit
  10. the act of hanging : the state of being hung
  11. the state of a substance when its particles are mixed with but undissolved in a fluid or solid
  12. a substance in this state
  13. a system consisting of a solid dispersed in a solid, liquid, or gas usu. in particles of larger than colloidal size
  14. something suspended
  15. the means by which something is suspended
  16. the system of devices (as springs) supporting the upper part of a vehicle on the axles

suspension bridge -n

  1. a bridge that has its roadway suspended from two or more cables usu. passing over towers and securely anchored at the ends

suspension points -n pl

  1. usu. three spaced periods used to show the omission of a word or word group from a written context

sus·pen·sive [sə-'spen(t)-siv] -adj, adv

  1. stopping temporarily : suspending
    • a suspensive veto
  2. characterized by suspense, suspended judgment, or indecisiveness
  3. characterized by suspension

sus·pen·sor [sə-'spen(t)-sər] -n

  1. : a suspending part or structure: as
  2. a group or chain of cells that is produced from the zygote of a seed plant and serves to push the developing embryo into the endosperm
  3. either of a pair of gametangia-bearing hyphal outgrowths in fungi (order Mucorales) that extend from two sexually compatible hyphae and support the resulting zygospore

sus·pen·so·ry [sə-'spen(t)-sə-rē, -'spen(t)s-rē] -adj

  1. held in suspension
  2. fitted or serving to suspend
  3. temporarily leaving undetermined : suspensive

suspensory -n

  1. something that suspends or holds up
  2. a fabric supporter for the scrotum

suspensory ligament -n

  1. a ligament or fibrous membrane suspending an organ or part
  2. a ringlike fibrous membrane connecting the ciliary body and the lens of the eye and holding the lens in place

sus·pi·cion [sə-'spi-shən] -n

  1. the act or an instance of suspecting something wrong without proof or on slight evidence : mistrust
  2. a state of mental uneasiness and uncertainty : doubt
  3. a barely detectable amount : trace
    • just a suspicion of garlic

suspicion [-'spi-sh(ə-)niŋ] -vt

  1. suspect

sus·pi·cious [sə-'spi-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. tending to arouse suspicion : questionable
    • suspicious characters
  2. disposed to suspect : distrustful
    • suspicious of strangers
  3. expressing or indicative of suspicion
    • a suspicious glance

sus·pi·ra·tion [,səs-pə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. a long deep breath : sigh

sus·pire [sə-'spī(-ə)r] -vi

  1. to draw a long deep breath : sigh

suss ['səs] -vt

  1. figure out usu. used with out
  2. to inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge usu. used with out

Sus·sex spaniel ['sə-siks-, -,seks-] -n

  1. any of a breed of short-legged short-necked long-bodied spaniels of English origin with a flat or slightly wavy golden liver-colored coat

sus·tain [sə-'stān] -vt, adv, n

  1. to give support or relief to
  2. to supply with sustenance : nourish
  3. keep up, prolong
  4. to support the weight of : prop
  5. to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)
  6. to buoy up
    • sustain ed by hope
  7. to bear up under
  8. suffer, undergo
    • sustain ed heavy losses
  9. to support as true, legal, or just
  10. to allow or admit as valid
    • the court sustain ed the motion
  11. to support by adequate proof : confirm
    • testimony that sustain s our contention

sustain -n

  1. a musical effect that prolongs a note's resonance
    • utilizing heavy sustain on his guitar -- Bill Dahl

sus·tain·able [sə-'stā-nə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being sustained
  2. of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged
    • sustainable techniques
    • sustainable agriculture
  3. of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods
    • sustainable society

sus·tainedre·lease [sə-'stānd-ri-'lēs] -adj

  1. designed to release a drug in the body slowly over an extended period of time
    • sustainedrelease capsules

sustained yield -n, adj

  1. production of a biological resource (as timber or fish) under management procedures which ensure replacement of the part harvested by regrowth or reproduction before another harvest occurs

sus·tain·ing [sə-'stā-niŋ] -adj

  1. serving to sustain
  2. aiding in the support of an organization through a special fee
    • a sustaining member

sus·te·nance ['səs-tə-nən(t)s] -n

  1. means of support, maintenance, or subsistence : living
  2. food, provisions
  3. nourishment
  4. the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained
  5. a supplying or being supplied with the necessaries of life
  6. something that gives support, endurance, or strength

sus·ten·tac·u·lar cell [,səs-tən-'ta-kyə-lər-, -,ten-] -n

  1. a supporting epithelial cell (as a Sertoli cell or a cell of the olfactory epithelium) that lacks a specialized function (as nerve-impulse conduction)

sus·ten·ta·tion [-'tā-shən] -n, adj

  1. : the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained: as
  2. maintenance, upkeep
  3. preservation, conservation
  4. maintenance of life, growth, or morale
  5. provision with sustenance
  6. something that sustains : support

Su·su ['sü-(,)sü] -n

  1. a member of a West African people of Mali, Guinea, and the area along the northern border of Sierra Leone
  2. the Mande language of the Susu people

su·sur·ra·tion [,sü-sə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. a whispering sound : murmur

su·sur·rous [su̇-'sər-əs, -'sə-rəs] -adj

  1. full of whispering sounds

su·sur·rus [su̇-'sər-əs, -'sə-rəs] -n, adj

  1. a whispering or rustling sound

sut·ler ['sət-lər] -n

  1. a civilian provisioner to an army post often with a shop on the post

su·tra ['sü-trə] -n

  1. a precept summarizing Vedic teaching
  2. a collection of these precepts
  3. one of the discourses of the Buddha that constitute the basic text of Buddhist scripture

sut·tee [(,)sə-'tē, 'sə-,tē] -n

  1. the act or custom of a Hindu widow willingly being cremated on the funeral pyre of her husband as an indication of her devotion to him
  2. a woman cremated in this way

su·ture ['sü-chər] -n, adj, adv

  1. a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
  2. a stitch made with a suture
  3. the act or process of sewing with sutures
  4. a uniting of parts
  5. the seam or seamlike line along which two things or parts are sewed or united
  6. the line of union in an immovable articulation (as between the bones of the skull)
  7. such an articulation
  8. a furrow at the junction of adjacent bodily parts
  9. a line of dehiscence (as on a fruit)

suture ['sü-chə-riŋ, 'süch-riŋ] -vt

  1. to unite, close, or secure with sutures
    • suture a wound

SUV [,es-(,)yü-'vē] -n

  1. sport-utility vehicle

su·zer·ain ['sü-zə-rən, -,rān; 'süz-rən] -n

  1. a superior feudal lord to whom fealty is due : overlord
  2. a dominant state controlling the foreign relations of a vassal state but allowing it sovereign authority in its internal affairs

su·zer·ain·ty [-tē] -n

  1. the dominion of a suzerain : overlordship