si ['sē] -n

  1. ti

Si -symbol

  1. silicon

SI -abbr

  1. International System of Units

si·al·a·gogue [sī-'a-lə-,gäg] -n

  1. an agent that promotes the flow of saliva

si·al·ic [sī-'a-lik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being relatively light rock that is rich in silica and alumina and is typical of the outer layers of the earth

sialic acid -n

  1. any of a group of reducing amido acids that are essentially carbohydrates and are found esp. as components of blood glycoproteins and mucoproteins

si·a·mang ['sē-ə-,maŋ, 'sī-] -n

  1. a black gibbon ( Hylobates syndactylus) of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula that is the largest of the gibbons

Si·a·mese [,sī-ə-'mēz, -'mēs] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Thailand, the Thais, or their language
  2. exhibiting great resemblance : very like
  3. connecting two or more pipes or hoses so as to permit discharge in a single stream

Siamese -n

  1. thai
  2. thai
  3. siamese cat

Siamese cat -n

  1. any of a breed of slender blue-eyed short-haired domestic cats of Asian origin with pale fawn or gray body and darker ears, paws, tail, and face and a long wedge-shaped head

Siamese fighting fish -n

  1. a brightly colored betta ( Betta splendens) that has highly aggressive males and is a popular aquarium fish

Siamese twin -n

  1. one of a pair of congenitally united twins

sib ['sib] -adj

  1. related by blood : akin
  2. kindred, relatives
  3. a blood relation : kinsman
  4. a brother or sister considered irrespective of sex
  5. any plant or animal of a group sharing a degree of genetic relationship corresponding to that of human sibs
  6. a group of persons unilaterally descended from a real or supposed ancestor

Si·be·ri·an husky [sī-'bir-ē-ən-] -n

  1. any of a breed of medium-sized thick-coated compact dogs that were developed in Siberia for use as sled dogs and that have erect ears and a bushy tail

Siberian tiger -n

  1. a large endangered tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica) formerly inhabiting eastern Siberia to Korea but now much restricted in range

sib·i·lance ['si-bə-lən(t)s] -n

  1. a sibilant quality or sound

sib·i·lant ['si-bə-lənt] -adj, adv

  1. having, containing, or producing the sound of or a sound resembling that of the sor the shin sash
    • a sibilant affricate
    • a sibilant snake

sibilant -n

  1. a sibilant speech sound (as English s, z, sh, zh, ch(tsh), or j(dzh))

sib·i·late ['si-bə-,lāt] -vb, n

  1. hiss
  2. to utter an initial sibilant : prefix an s-sound
  3. hiss
  4. to pronounce with an initial sibilant : prefix an s-sound to

sib·ling ['si-bliŋ] -n

  1. sib
  2. one of two or more individuals having one common parent
  3. one of two or more things related by a common tie or characteristic
    • the sedan's smaller sibling

sibling species -n

  1. one of two or more species that are nearly indistinguishable morphologically

sib·yl ['si-bəl] -n, adj

  1. any of several prophetesses usu. accepted as 10 in number and credited to widely separate parts of the ancient world (as Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, and Italy)
  2. prophetess
  3. fortune-teller

sic ['səch, 'sich] -adj

(variant of such)

  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

sick ['sik] -adj, adv

  1. affected with disease or ill health : ailing
  2. of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness
    • sick pay
    • a sick ward
  3. queasy, nauseated
    • sick to one's stomach
    • was sick in the car
  4. undergoing menstruation
  5. spiritually or morally unsound or corrupt
  6. sickened by strong emotion
    • sick with fear
    • worried sick
  7. having a strong distaste from surfeit : satiated
    • sick of flattery
  8. filled with disgust or chagrin
    • gossip makes me sick
  9. depressed and longing for something
    • sick for one's home
  10. mentally or emotionally unsound or disordered : morbid
    • sick thoughts
  11. highly distasteful : macabre, sadistic
    • sick jokes
    • a sick crime
  12. : lacking vigor : sickly: as
  13. badly outclassed
    • made the competition look sick
  14. incapable of producing profitable yields of a crop
    • sick soils
  15. vomit

sick and tired -adj

  1. thoroughly fatigued or bored
  2. fed up

sick bay -n

  1. a compartment in a ship used as a dispensary and hospital
  2. a place for the care of the sick or injured

sick·bed ['sik-,bed] -n

  1. the bed on which one lies sick

sick building syndrome -n

  1. a set of symptoms (as headache, fatigue, and eye irritation) typically affecting workers in modern airtight office buildings that is believed to be caused by indoor pollutants (as formaldehyde fumes or microorganisms)

sick call -n

  1. a scheduled time at which individuals (as soldiers) may report as sick to the medical officer

sick day -n

  1. a paid day of sick leave

sick·en ['si-kən] -vb, n

  1. to become sick
  2. to become weary or satiated
  3. to make sick
  4. to cause revulsion in
    • their prejudice sicken s me

sickening [-niŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. causing sickness or disgust
    • a sickening odor
    • a sickening display

sick·er ['si-kər] -adj, adv

  1. secure, safe
  2. dependable

sick headache -n

  1. migraine

sick·ie ['si-kē] -n

  1. sicko

sick·ish ['si-kish] -adj, adv, n

  1. somewhat ill : sickly
  2. somewhat nauseated : queasy
  3. somewhat sickening
    • a sickish odor

sick·le ['si-kəl] -n

  1. an agricultural implement consisting of a curved metal blade with a short handle fitted on a tang
  2. the cutting mechanism (as of a reaper, combine, or mower) consisting of a bar with a series of cutting elements

sickle -adj

  1. having the form of a sickle blade : having a curve similar to that of a sickle blade
    • the sickle moon
  2. to mow or reap with a sickle
  3. to change (a red blood cell) into a sickle cell
  4. to change into a sickle cell
    • the ability of red blood cells to sickle

sick leave -n

  1. an absence from work permitted because of illness
  2. the number of days per year for which an employer agrees to pay employees who are sick

sickle cell -n

  1. an abnormal red blood cell of crescent shape

sicklecell anemia -n

  1. a chronic inherited anemia that occurs primarily in individuals of African, Mediterranean, or southwest Asian ancestry who are homozygous for the gene controlling hemoglobin S and that is characterized esp. by episodic blocking of small blood vessels by sickle cells called also sickle-cell disease

sicklecell trait -n

  1. an inherited usu. asymptomatic blood condition in which some red blood cells tend to sickle but usu. not enough to produce anemia and that occurs primarily in individuals of African, Mediterranean, or southwest Asian ancestry who are heterozygous for the gene controlling hemoglobin S

sick·le·mia [,si-kə-'lē-mē-ə] -n

  1. sickle-cell trait

sick·ly ['si-klē] -adj, n

  1. somewhat unwell
  2. habitually ailing
  3. produced by or associated with sickness
    • a sickly complexion
    • a sickly appetite
  4. producing or tending to produce disease : unwholesome
    • a sickly climate
  5. appearing as if sick
  6. lacking in vigor : weak
    • a sickly plant
  7. sickening
    • a sickly odor

sickly -vt

  1. to make sick or sickly

sick·ness ['sik-nəs] -n

  1. ill health : illness
  2. a disordered, weakened, or unsound condition
  3. a specific disease
  4. nausea, queasiness

sicko ['si-(,)kō] -n, adj

  1. a person who is mentally or morally sick

sickout ['sik-,au̇t] -n

  1. an organized absence from work by workers on the pretext of sickness

sick pay -n

  1. salary or wages paid to an employee while on sick leave

sick·room ['sik-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a room in which a person is confined by sickness

sic pas·sim ['sik-'pa-səm, 'sēk-'pä-sim] -adv

  1. so throughout used of a word or idea to be found throughout a book or a writer's work

SID -abbr

  1. sports information director

sid·dur ['si-dər, -,du̇r] -n

  1. a Jewish prayer book containing liturgies for daily, Sabbath, and holiday observances

side ['sīd] -n

  1. the right or left part of the wall or trunk of the body
    • a pain in the side
  2. one of the halves of the animal body on either side of the median plane
  3. a cut of meat including that about the ribs of one half of the body used chiefly of smoked pork products
  4. one longitudinal half of a hide
  5. a place, space, or direction with respect to a center or to a line of division (as of an aisle, river, or street)
  6. one of the longer bounding surfaces or lines of an object esp. contrasted with the ends
    • the side of a barn
  7. a line or surface forming a border or face of an object
    • a die has six side s
    • the back side of the moon
  8. either surface of a thin object
    • one side of a record
    • right side of the cloth
  9. a bounding line of a geometric figure
    • side of a triangle
  10. the space beside one
    • stood by my side
  11. an area next to something usu. used in combination
    • a pool side interview
  12. a slope (as of a hill) considered as opposed to another slope
    • the far side of the hill
  13. the attitude or activity of one person or group with respect to another : part
    • there was no malice on my side
  14. a position that is opposite to or contrasted with another
    • two side s to every question
    • came down on the side of law and order
  15. a body of partisans or contestants
    • victory for neither side
  16. team
    • 11 players on each side
  17. the players on a baseball team batting in an inning
    • struck out the side
  18. a line of descent traced through one's parent
    • grandfather on his mother's side
  19. an aspect or part of something contrasted with some other real or implied aspect or part
    • the better side of his nature
    • the sales side of the business
    • the seasoning is a bit on the heavy side
  20. sideways spin imparted to a billiard or snooker ball
  21. a sheet containing the lines and cues for a single theatrical role
  22. a recording of music
  23. a side order or dish
    • a side of fries
  24. situated on the side
    • side window
  25. of or relating to the side
  26. directed toward or from the side
    • side thrust
    • side wind
  27. incidental, indirect
    • side issue
    • side remark
  28. made on the side
    • side payment
  29. additional to the main portion
    • a side order of french fries
  30. to agree with : support
  31. to be side by side with
  32. to set or put aside : clear away
    • side the dishes
  33. to furnish with sides or siding
    • side a house
  34. to take sides : join or form sides
    • sided with the rebels
  35. swaggering or arrogant manner : pretentiousness

side·arm ['sīd-,ärm] -n

  1. a weapon (as a sword, revolver, or bayonet) worn at the side or in the belt

sidearm -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, using, or being a throw (as in baseball) in which the arm is not raised above the shoulder and the ball is thrown with a sideways sweep of the arm between shoulder and hip
    • sidearm delivery
    • a sidearm pass

side·band [-,band] -n

  1. the band of frequencies (as of radio waves) on either side of the carrier frequency produced by modulation

side·bar [-,bär] -n

  1. a short news story or graphic accompanying and presenting sidelights of a major story
  2. something incidental : sidelight
    • a sidebar to the essay's central theme
  3. a conference between the judge, the lawyers, and sometimes the parties to a case that the jury does not hear

side bearing -n

  1. the space provided at each side of a typeset letter to prevent its touching adjoining letters

side·board ['sīd-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a piece of dining-room furniture having compartments and shelves for holding articles of table service
  2. sideburns

side·burns [-,bərnz] -n pl, adj

  1. side-whiskers
  2. continuations of the hairline in front of the ears

side by side -adv, adj

  1. beside one another
    • walking side by side
  2. in the same place, time, or circumstance
    • lived peacefully side by side for many years

side·car ['sīd-,kär] -n

  1. a car attached to the side of a motorcycle for a passenger
  2. a cocktail consisting of a liqueur with lemon juice and brandy

side chain -n

  1. a shorter chain or group of atoms attached to a principal chain or to a ring in a molecule

side chair -n

  1. a chair without arms used usu. in a dining room

sided -adj, n

  1. having sides often of a specified number or kind
    • one- sided
    • glass- sided

side dish -n

  1. a food served separately along with the main course

sidedress ['sīd-,dres] -vt

  1. to place plant nutrients on or in the soil near the roots of (a growing crop)

sidedress·ing [-,dre-siŋ] -n

  1. plant nutrients (as fertilizer) used to side-dress a crop

side drum -n

  1. snare drum

side effect -n

  1. a secondary and usu. adverse effect (as of a drug)
    • toxic side effects
    called also side reaction

sideglance ['sīd-,glan(t)s] -n

  1. a glance directed to the side
  2. a passing allusion : an indirect or slight reference

side·hill [-,hil] -n, adj

  1. hillside

side horse -n

  1. pommel horse

side·kick ['sīd-,kik] -n

  1. a person closely associated with another as a subordinate or partner

side·light [-,līt] -n

  1. light coming or produced from the side
  2. incidental light or information
  3. the red light on the port bow or the green light on the starboard bow carried by ships under way at night

side·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a line at right angles to a goal line or end line and marking a side of a court or field of play for athletic games
  2. a line of goods sold in addition to one's principal line
  3. a business or activity pursued in addition to one's regular occupation
  4. the space immediately outside the lines along either side of an athletic field or court
  5. a sphere of little or no participation or activity usu. used in pl.

sideline -vt

  1. to put out of action : put on the sidelines

side·lin·er ['sīd-,lī-nər] -n

  1. one that remains on the sidelines during an activity : one that does not participate

side·ling ['sīd-liŋ] -adv

  1. in a sidelong direction : sideways

sideling -adj

  1. directed toward one side : oblique
  2. having an inclination : sloping
    • sideling ground

side·long ['sīd-,lȯŋ] -adv

  1. sideways, obliquely
  2. on the side

sidelong -adj

  1. lying or inclining to one side : slanting
  2. directed to one side
    • sidelong looks
  3. indirect rather than straightforward

side·man ['sīd-,man] -n

  1. a member of a band or orchestra and esp. of a jazz or swing orchestra

sideout ['sīd-'au̇t] -n

  1. the termination of a team's right to serve (as in volleyball)

side·piece [-,pēs] -n

  1. a piece forming or contained in the side of something
    • the sidepiece of a carriage

sider- -comb form

  1. iron
    • hemo sider in
    • sidero lite

si·de·re·al [sī-'dir-ē-əl, sə-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or expressed in relation to stars or constellations : astral

sidereal day -n

  1. the interval between two successive transits of a point on the celestial sphere (as the vernal equinox) over the upper meridian of a place : 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.1 seconds of mean time

sidereal hour -n

  1. the 24th part of a sidereal day

sidereal minute -n

  1. the 60th part of a sidereal hour

sidereal month -n

  1. the mean time of the moon's revolution in its orbit with reference to a star's position : 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 11.5 seconds of mean time

sidereal second -n

  1. the 60th part of a sidereal minute

sidereal time -n

  1. time based on the sidereal day
  2. the hour angle of the vernal equinox at a place

sidereal year -n

  1. the time in which the earth completes one revolution in its orbit around the sun measured with respect to the fixed stars : 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 9.5 seconds of mean time

sid·er·ite ['si-də-,rīt] -n

  1. a native ferrous carbonate FeCO 3that is a valuable iron ore

siderite -n

  1. a nickel-iron meteorite

side road -n

  1. a smaller road off a main road

si·de·ro·lite [sī-'dir-ə-,līt, 'si-də-rə-] -n

  1. a stony iron meteorite

side·sad·dle ['sīd-,sa-dᵊl] -n, adv

  1. a saddle for women in which the rider sits with both legs on one side of the horse

sidescan sonar [-,skan-] -n

  1. a sonar that scans the ocean floor to the side of a ship's track and is used esp. for mapping the ocean bottom

side·show [-,shō] -n

  1. a minor show offered in addition to a main exhibition (as of a circus)
  2. an incidental diversion or spectacle

side·slip [-,slip] -vi, n

  1. to skid or slide sideways
  2. to slide sideways through the air in a downward direction in an airplane along an inclined lateral axis

side·spin [-,spin] -n

  1. a rotary motion that causes a ball to revolve horizontally

side·split·ting [-,spli-tiŋ] -adj, adv

  1. extremely funny
    • a sidesplitting comedy

side·step ['sīd-,step] -vt, n

  1. bypass, evade
    • sidestep a question
  2. to move out of the way of : avoid
    • sidestep a blow
  3. to take a side step
  4. to avoid an issue or decision

side step -n

  1. a step aside (as in boxing to avoid a blow)
  2. a step taken sideways (as when climbing on skis)

side·stream [-,strēm] -adj

  1. relating to or being tobacco smoke that is emitted from the lighted end of a cigarette or cigar

side street -n

  1. a street joining and often terminated by a main thoroughfare

side·stroke ['sīd-,strōk] -n

  1. a swimming stroke which is executed on the side and in which the arms are swept in separate strokes towards the feet and downward and the legs do a scissors kick

side·swipe [-,swīp] -vt

  1. to strike with a glancing blow along the side
    • sideswiped a parked car

sideswipe -n

  1. the action of sideswiping
  2. an instance of sideswiping : a glancing blow
  3. an incidental deprecatory remark, allusion, or reference

side table -n

  1. a table designed to be placed against a wall

side·track ['sīd-,trak] -n

  1. siding
  2. a position or condition of secondary importance to which one may be diverted

sidetrack -vt

  1. to shunt aside (as to a railroad siding)
  2. to turn aside from a purpose : deflect
  3. to prevent action on by diversionary tactics
    • sidetrack an issue

side·walk ['sīd-,wȯk] -n

  1. a usu. paved walk for pedestrians at the side of a street

sidewalk superintendent -n

  1. a spectator at a building or demolition job

side·wall ['sīd-,wȯl] -n

  1. a wall forming the side of something
  2. the side of an automotive tire between the tread shoulder and the rim bead

side·ward ['sīd-wərd] -adv

  1. toward a side

side·way ['sīd-,wā] -adv or adj

  1. sideways

side·ways [-,wāz] -adv or adj

  1. from one side
  2. with one side forward
    • turn sideways
  3. in a lateral direction or downward to one side
    • hopped sideways
    • slump sideways
  4. askance
    • look sideways at someone

sidewheel ['sīd-,hwēl, -,wēl] -adj, n

  1. of or being a steamer having a paddle wheel on each side

sidewhis·kers ['sīd-,hwis-kərz, -,wis-] -n pl, adj

  1. whiskers on the side of the face usu. worn long

side·wind·er ['sīd-,wīn-dər] -n

  1. a heavy swinging blow from the side
  2. a small pale-colored desert rattlesnake ( Crotalus cerastes) of the southwestern U.S. that moves by thrusting its body diagonally forward in a series of flat S-shaped curves

side·wise ['sīd-,wīz] -adv or adj

  1. sideways

siding -n

  1. the taking of sides : partisanship
  2. a short railroad track connected with the main track
  3. material (as boards or metal or plastic pieces) forming the exposed surface of outside walls of frame buildings

si·dle ['sī-dᵊl] -vb, n

  1. to go or move with one side foremost esp. in a furtive advance
  2. to cause to move or turn sideways

SIDS -abbr

  1. sudden infant death syndrome

siege ['sēj also 'sēzh] -n, vt

  1. a seat of distinction : throne
  2. a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender
  3. a persistent or serious attack (as of illness)

siege mentality -n

  1. a defensive or overly fearful attitude

Siege Perilous -n

  1. a seat at King Arthur's Round Table reserved for the knight destined to achieve the quest of the Holy Grail and fatal to any other occupying it

Sieg·fried ['sig-,frēd, 'sēg-] -n

  1. a hero in Germanic legend who slays a dragon guarding a gold hoard and wakes Brunhild from her enchanted sleep

Siegfried line -n

  1. a line of German defensive fortifications facing the Maginot Line

sie·mens ['sē-mənz, 'zē-] -n

  1. a unit of conductance in the meter-kilogram-second system equivalent to one ampere per volt

si·en·na [sē-'e-nə] -n

  1. an earthy substance containing oxides of iron and usu. of manganese that is brownish yellow when raw and orange red or reddish brown when burnt and is used as a pigment

si·er·ra [sē-'er-ə] -n

  1. a range of mountains esp. with a serrated or irregular outline
  2. the country about a sierra
  3. any of several large scombroid fishes (genus Scomberomorus) related to the mackerel

Sierra

  1. a communications code word for the letter s

si·er·ran [sē-'er-ən] -adj

  1. of or relating to a sierra
    • sierran foothills
  2. of or relating to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western U.S.

Sierran -n

  1. a native or inhabitant of the region around the Sierra Nevada Mountains

si·es·ta [sē-'es-tə] -n

  1. an afternoon nap or rest

sie·va bean ['sē-və-, 'si-vē-] -n

  1. a bean plant ( Phaseolus lunatus) of tropical America that is closely related to and sometimes classified with the lima bean
  2. its flat edible seed

sieve ['siv] -n

  1. a device with meshes or perforations through which finer particles of a mixture (as of ashes, flour, or sand) of various sizes may be passed to separate them from coarser ones, through which the liquid may be drained from liquid-containing material, or through which soft materials may be forced for reduction to fine particles
  2. sift

sieve of Er·a·tos·the·nes [-,er-ə-'täs-thə-,nēz]

  1. a procedure for finding prime numbers that involves writing down the odd numbers from 2 up in succession and crossing out every third number after 3, every fifth after 5 including those already crossed out, every seventh after 7, and so on with the numbers that are never crossed out being prime

sieve plate -n

  1. a perforated wall or part of a wall at the end of one of the individual cells making up a sieve tube

sie·vert ['sē-vərt] -n

  1. an SI unit for the dosage of ionizing radiation equal to 100 rems

sieve tube -n

  1. a tube consisting of an end-to-end series of thin-walled living plant cells characteristic of the phloem and held to function chiefly in translocation of organic solutes

si·faka [sə-'fa-kə] -n

  1. any of several diurnal mostly black-and-white lemurs (genus Propithecus) with a long tail and silky fur

sift ['sift] -vb, n

  1. to put through a sieve
    • sift flour
  2. to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve
  3. to go through esp. to sort out what is useful or valuable
    • sift ed the evidence
    often used with through
    • sift through a pile of old letters
  4. to scatter by or as if by sifting
    • sift sugar on a cake
  5. to use a sieve
  6. to pass or fall as if through a sieve

sift·ing ['sif-tiŋ] -n

  1. the act or process of sifting
  2. sifted material

sig -abbr

  1. signature

Sig -abbr

  1. signa

SIG -abbr

  1. special interest group

sigh ['sī] -vb, n

  1. to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief)
  2. to make a sound like sighing
    • wind sigh ing in the branches
  3. grieve, yearn
    • sigh ing for days gone by
  4. to express by sighs
  5. to utter sighs over : mourn
  6. an often involuntary act of sighing esp. when expressing an emotion or feeling (as weariness or relief)
  7. the sound of gently moving or escaping air
    • sigh s of the summer breeze

sight ['sīt] -n

  1. something that is seen : spectacle
  2. a thing regarded as worth seeing usu. used in pl.
    • the sight s of the city
  3. something ludicrous or disorderly in appearance
    • you look a sight
  4. a great number or quantity
  5. a good deal : lot
    • a far sight better
    • not by a damn sight
  6. the process, power, or function of seeing
  7. the physical sense by which light stimuli received by the eye are interpreted by the brain and constructed into a representation of the position, shape, brightness, and usu. color of objects in space
  8. mental or spiritual perception
  9. mental view
  10. judgment
  11. the act of looking at or beholding
  12. inspection, perusal
  13. view, glimpse
  14. an observation to determine direction or position (as by a navigator)
  15. a perception of an object by or as if by the eye
    • never lost sight of the objective
  16. the range of vision
    • was nowhere in sight
  17. presentation of a note or draft to the maker or draftee : demand
  18. a device that aids the eye in aiming or in finding the direction of an object
  19. aspiration
    • set her sight s on a medical career
  20. to get or catch sight of
    • several whales were sight ed
  21. to look at through or as if through a sight
  22. to test for straightness
  23. to aim by means of sights
  24. to equip with sights
  25. to adjust the sights of
  26. to take aim
  27. to look carefully in a particular direction
  28. based on recognition or comprehension without previous study
    • sight translation
  29. payable on presentation
    • a sight draft

sight·ed ['sī-təd] -adj

  1. having sight
    • clear- sighted
    • a sighted person

sight gag -n

  1. a comic bit or episode whose effect is produced by pantomime or camera shot rather than by words

sight hound -n

  1. a hound (as a greyhound) that hunts and pursues game by sight rather than by scent

sight·less ['sīt-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking sight : blind
  2. invisible

sight line -n

  1. a line extending from an observer's eye to a viewed object or area (as a stage)
    • a theater with excellent sight lines

sight·ly [-lē] -adj, n, adv

  1. pleasing to the sight : attractive
  2. affording a fine view

sightread [-,rēd] -vb, n

  1. to read (as a foreign language) or perform (music) without previous preparation or study
  2. to read at sight
  3. to perform music at sight

sight rhyme -n

  1. eye rhyme

sight·see ['sīt-,sē] -vi, n

  1. to go about seeing sights of interest

sightsee·ing ['sīt-,sē-iŋ] -adj, n

  1. devoted to or used for seeing sights

sight unseen -adv

  1. without inspection or appraisal

sig·il ['si-jil] -n

  1. seal, signet
  2. a sign, word, or device held to have occult power in astrology or magic

SIG·INT ['sig-,int] -n

  1. intelligence obtained through the interception of transmission signals

sig·ma ['sig-mə] -n

  1. the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet
  2. standard deviation

sig·moid ['sig-,mȯid] -adj, adv

  1. curved like the letter C
  2. curved in two directions like the letter S
  3. of, relating to, or being the sigmoid colon

sigmoid colon -n

  1. the contracted and crooked part of the colon immediately above the rectum called also sigmoid flexure

sig·moid·o·scope [sig-'mȯi-də-,skōp] -n, adj

  1. an endoscope designed to be passed through the anus for visual examination esp. of the sigmoid colon

sign ['sīn] -n

  1. a motion or gesture by which a thought is expressed or a command or wish made known
  2. signal
  3. a fundamental linguistic unit that designates an object or relation or has a purely syntactic function
    • sign s include words, morphemes, and punctuation
  4. one of a set of gestures used to represent language
  5. sign language
  6. a mark having a conventional meaning and used in place of words or to represent a complex notion
  7. one of the 12 divisions of the zodiac
  8. a character (as a flat or sharp) used in musical notation
  9. segno
  10. a character (as ) indicating a mathematical operation
  11. one of two characters and that form part of the symbol of a number and characterize it as positive or negative
  12. a display (as a lettered board or a configuration of neon tubing) used to identify or advertise a place of business or a product
  13. a posted command, warning, or direction
  14. signboard
  15. something material or external that stands for or signifies something spiritual
  16. something indicating the presence or existence of something else
    • sign s of success
    • a sign of the times
  17. presage, portent
    • sign s of an early spring
  18. an objective evidence of plant or animal disease
  19. traces of a usu. wild animal
    • red fox sign
  20. cross
  21. to place a sign on or mark by signs
    • sign a trail
  22. to represent or indicate by a sign
  23. to affix a signature to : ratify or attest by hand or seal
    • sign a bill into law
    • sign a confession
  24. to assign or convey formally
    • sign ed over his property to his brother
  25. to write down (one's name)
  26. to affix one's name to
    • a sign ed review
  27. to communicate by making a sign or by sign language
  28. to engage or hire by securing the signature of on a contract of employment often used with up or on
  29. to write one's name in token of assent, responsibility, or obligation
    • sign ed for the packages
    • sign ed with the team for one season
  30. to make a sign or signal
  31. to use sign language

sig·na ['sig-nə] -vb imper

  1. write on label

sign·age ['sī-nij] -n

  1. signs (as of identification, warning, or direction) or a system of such signs

sig·nal ['sig-nᵊl] -n

  1. sign, indication
  2. an act, event, or watchword that has been agreed on as the occasion of concerted action
  3. something that incites to action
  4. something (as a sound, gesture, or object) that conveys notice or warning
  5. an object used to transmit or convey information beyond the range of human voice
  6. the sound or image conveyed in telegraphy, telephony, radio, radar, or television
  7. a detectable physical quantity or impulse (as a voltage, current, or magnetic field strength) by which messages or information can be transmitted

signal [-nə-liŋ] -vb, n

  1. to notify by a signal
    • signal the fleet to turn back
  2. to communicate or indicate by or as if by signals
    • signal ed the end of an era
  3. to constitute a characteristic feature of (a meaningful linguistic form)
  4. to make or send a signal
  5. distinguished from the ordinary : notable
    • a signal achievement

sig·nal·ise ['sig-nə-,līz] -vt, n

(variant of signalize)

  1. to make conspicuous : distinguish, mark
  2. to point out carefully or distinctly
  3. to make signals to : signal
  4. indicate
    • his silence signalize s approval
  5. to place traffic signals at or on

sig·nal·ize ['sig-nə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to make conspicuous : distinguish, mark
  2. to point out carefully or distinctly
  3. to make signals to : signal
  4. indicate
    • his silence signalize s approval
  5. to place traffic signals at or on

sig·nal·ly ['sig-nə-lē] -adv

  1. in a signal manner : notably

sig·nal·man ['sig-nᵊl-mən, -,man] -n

  1. a person who signals or works with signals (as on a railway)

sig·nal·ment [-mənt] -n

  1. description by peculiar, appropriate, or characteristic marks
  2. the systematic description of a person for purposes of identification

sig·na·to·ry ['sig-nə-,tȯr-ē] -n, adj

  1. a signer with another or others
    • signatories to a petition
  2. a government bound with others by a signed convention

sig·na·ture ['sig-nə-,chu̇r, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r] -n

  1. the act of signing one's name to something
  2. the name of a person written with his or her own hand
  3. a feature in the appearance or qualities of a natural object formerly held to indicate its utility in medicine
  4. a letter or figure placed usu. at the bottom of the first page on each sheet of printed pages (as of a book) as a direction to the binder in arranging and gathering the sheets
  5. one unit of a book comprising a group of printed sheets that are folded and stitched together
  6. key signature
  7. time signature
  8. the part of a medical prescription that contains the directions to the patient
  9. something (as a tune, style, or logo) that serves to set apart or identify
  10. a characteristic mark
  11. fingerprint

sign·board ['sīn-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a board bearing a notice or sign

signed ['sīnd] -adj

  1. having a sign
  2. having a plus or minus sign
    • signed numbers like 6 and 4

sig·net ['sig-nət] -n

  1. a seal used officially to give personal authority to a document in lieu of signature
  2. the impression made by or as if by a signet
  3. a small intaglio seal (as in a finger ring)

signet -vt

  1. to stamp or authenticate with a signet

signet ring -n

  1. a finger ring engraved with a signet, seal, or monogram : seal ring

sig·nif·i·cance [sig-'ni-fi-kən(t)s] -n

  1. something that is conveyed as a meaning often obscurely or indirectly
  2. the quality of conveying or implying
  3. the quality of being important : moment
  4. the quality of being statistically significant

significance level -n

  1. level of significance

sig·nif·i·can·cy [sig-'ni-fi-kən(t)-sē] -n

  1. significance

sig·nif·i·cant [-kənt] -adj

  1. having meaning
  2. suggestive
    • a significant glance
  3. having or likely to have influence or effect : important
    • a significant piece of legislation
  4. of a noticeably or measurably large amount
    • a significant number of layoffs
    • producing significant profits
  5. probably caused by something other than mere chance
    • statistically significant correlation between vitamin deficiency and disease

significant digit -n

  1. any of the digits of a number beginning with the digit farthest to the left that is not zero and ending with the last digit farthest to the right that is either not zero or that is a zero but is considered to be exact called also significant figure

sig·nif·i·cant·ly [sig-'ni-fi-kənt-lē] -adv

  1. in a significant manner : to a significant degree
    • the salaries differed significantly
  2. it is significant
    • significantly, they were on time

significant other -n

  1. a person who is important to one's well-being
  2. a spouse or one in a similar relationship

sig·ni·fi·ca·tion [,sig-nə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of signifying by signs or other symbolic means
  2. a formal notification
  3. purport
  4. the meaning that a term, symbol, or character regularly conveys or is intended to convey
  5. importance, consequence

sig·nif·i·ca·tive [sig-'ni-fə-,kā-tiv] -adj

  1. significant, suggestive
  2. indicative
    • symptoms significative of malaria

sig·nif·ics [sig-'ni-fiks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. semiotic, semantics

signified -n

  1. a concept or meaning as distinguished from the sign through which it is communicated

sig·ni·fi·er ['sig-nə-,fī(-ə)r] -n

  1. one that signifies
  2. a symbol, sound, or image (as a word) that represents an underlying concept or meaning

sig·ni·fy ['sig-nə-,fī] -vb

  1. to be a sign of : mean
  2. imply
  3. to show esp. by a conventional token (as word, signal, or gesture)
  4. to have significance : matter
    • it will not much signify what one wears -- Jane Austen
  5. to engage in signifying

signifying -n

  1. a good-natured needling or goading esp. among urban blacks by means of indirect gibes and clever often preposterous put-downs
  2. dozens

sign in -vi

  1. to make a record of arrival by signing a register or punching a time clock
  2. to record arrival of (a person) or receipt of (an article) by signing

sign language -n

  1. a formal language employing a system of hand gestures for communication (as by the deaf)
  2. an unsystematic method of communicating chiefly by manual gestures used by people speaking different languages

sign of aggregation

  1. any of various conventional devices (as braces, brackets, parentheses, or vinculums) used in mathematics to indicate that two or more terms are to be treated as one quantity

sign off ['sī-,nȯf] -vi, n

  1. to announce the end of something (as a message or broadcast)
  2. to approve or acknowledge something by or as if by a signature
    • sign off on a memo

sign of the cross

  1. a gesture of the hand forming a cross esp. on forehead, breast, and shoulders to profess Christian faith or invoke divine protection or blessing

sign on ['sī-,nȯn, -,nän] -vi, n

  1. to engage oneself by or as if by a signature
    • signed on to the new project
  2. to announce the start of broadcasting for the day

si·gnor [sēn-'yȯr] -n

  1. an Italian man usu. of rank or gentility used as a title equivalent to Mr.

si·gno·ra [sēn-'yȯr-ə] -n

  1. a married Italian woman usu. of rank or gentility used as a title equivalent to Mrs.

si·gno·re [sēn-'yȯr-(,)ā] -n

  1. signor

si·gno·ri·na [,sē-nyə-'rē-nə] -n

  1. an unmarried Italian woman used as a title equivalent to Miss

si·gnory ['sē-nyə-rē] -n

  1. seigniory

sign out ['sī-,nau̇t] -vi, n or adj

  1. to indicate departure by signing a register
  2. to record or approve the release or departure of
    • signed out the library books for a week

sign·post ['sīn-,pōst] -n

  1. a post (as at the fork of a road) with signs on it to direct travelers
  2. guide, beacon
  3. sign, indication

signpost -vt

  1. to provide with or as if with signposts or guides

sign up ['sī-,nəp] -vi, n or adj

  1. to sign one's name (as to a contract) in order to obtain, do, or join something
    • sign up for insurance
    • sign up for classes

Sig·urd ['si-gu̇rd, -gərd] -n

  1. a hero in Norse mythology who slays the dragon Fafnir

si·ka ['sē-kə] -n

  1. a deer ( Cervus nippon) of eastern Asia that has a chestnut to brownish coat often spotted with white and that has established populations in other regions (as Europe and the U.S.) as a result of introduction

sike ['sīk] -n

  1. a small stream
  2. one that dries up in summer
  3. ditch

Sikh ['sēk, 'sik] -n

  1. an adherent of a monotheistic religion of India founded about 1500 by Guru Nanak and marked by rejection of idolatry and caste
  2. of or relating to Sikhs or Sikhism

si·lage ['sī-lij] -n

  1. fodder converted into succulent feed for livestock through processes of anaerobic acid fermentation (as in a silo)

si·lane ['si-,lān, 'sī-] -n

  1. any of various compounds of hydrogen and silicon that have the general formula Si n H 2 n 2and are analogous to alkanes

Si·las·tic [sə-'las-tik, sī-] -trademark

  1. used for a soft pliable plastic

sild ['sil(d)] -n

  1. a young herring other than a brisling that is canned as a sardine in Norway

sil·den·a·fil [sil-'de-nə-,fil] -n

  1. a drug used in the form of its citrate C 22H 30N 6O 4SC 6H 8O 7to treat erectile dysfunction

si·lence ['sī-lən(t)s] -n

  1. forbearance from speech or noise : muteness often used interjectionally
  2. absence of sound or noise : stillness
    • in the silence of the night
  3. : absence of mention:
  4. oblivion, obscurity
  5. secrecy
    • weapons research was conducted in silence

silence -vt

  1. to compel or reduce to silence : still
    • silenced the crowd
  2. suppress
    • silence dissent
  3. to cause to cease hostile firing or criticism
    • silence the opposition

si·lenc·er ['sī-lən(t)-sər] -n

  1. : one that silences: as
  2. the muffler of an internal combustion engine
  3. a silencing device for small arms

si·lent ['sī-lənt] -adj, adv, n

  1. making no utterance : mute, speechless
  2. indisposed to speak : not loquacious
  3. free from sound or noise : still
  4. performed or borne without utterance : unspoken
    • silent prayer
    • silent grief
  5. making no mention
    • history is silent about this person
  6. not widely or generally known or appreciated
    • the silent pressures on a person in public office
  7. making no protest or outcry
    • the silent majority
  8. unpronounced
    • the silent b in doubt
  9. not exhibiting the usual signs or symptoms of presence
    • a silent infection
  10. made without spoken dialogue
    • silent movies
  11. of or relating to silent movies

silent -n

  1. a motion picture made without spoken dialogue usu. used in pl.

silent auction -n

  1. an auction in which sealed bids are submitted beforehand

silent butler -n

  1. a receptacle with hinged lid for collecting table crumbs and the contents of ashtrays

silent partner -n

  1. a partner who is known to the public but has no voice in the conduct of a firm's business
  2. secret partner

silent service -n

  1. navy used with the
  2. the submarine service used with the

silent treatment -n

  1. an act of completely ignoring a person or thing by resort to silence esp. as a means of expressing contempt or disapproval

si·le·nus [sī-'lē-nəs] -n

  1. a minor woodland deity and companion of Dionysus in Greek mythology with a horse's ears and tail

si·lex ['sī-,leks] -n

  1. silica or a siliceous material (as powdered tripoli) esp. for use as a filler in paints or wood

sil·hou·ette [,si-lə-'wet] -n

  1. a likeness cut from dark material and mounted on a light ground or one sketched in outline and solidly colored in
  2. the outline of a body viewed as circumscribing a mass
    • the silhouette of a bird

silhouette [-'we-tist] -vt, n

  1. to represent by a silhouette
  2. to project on a background like a silhouette

sil·i·ca ['si-li-kə] -n

  1. the dioxide of silicon SiO 2occurring in crystalline, amorphous, and impure forms (as in quartz, opal, and sand respectively)

silica gel -n

  1. colloidal silica resembling coarse white sand in appearance but possessing many fine pores and therefore extremely adsorbent

sil·i·cate ['si-lə-,kāt, -kət] -n

  1. a salt or ester derived from a silicic acid
  2. any of numerous insoluble often complex metal salts that contain silicon and oxygen in the anion, constitute the largest class of minerals, and are used in building materials (as cement, bricks, and glass)

si·li·ceous [sə-'li-shəs] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or containing silica or a silicate
    • siliceous limestone

si·lic·ic [sə-'li-sik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or derived from silica or silicon

silicic acid -n

  1. any of various weakly acid substances obtained as gelatinous masses by treating silicates with acids

sil·i·cide ['si-lə-,sīd] -n

  1. a binary compound of silicon with a more electropositive element or group

si·lic·i·fi·ca·tion [sə-,li-sə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. the action or process of silicifying : the state of being silicified

si·lic·i·fy [sə-'li-sə-,fī] -vb

  1. to convert into or impregnate with silica
  2. to become silicified

sil·i·con ['si-li-kən, 'si-lə-,kän] -n

  1. a tetravalent nonmetallic element that occurs combined as the most abundant element next to oxygen in the earth's crust and is used esp. in ferrosilicon for steelmaking, in other alloys, and in semiconductors

silicon carbide -n

  1. a very hard dark crystalline compound SiC of silicon and carbon that is used as an abrasive and as a refractory and in electric resistors

silicon dioxide -n

  1. silica

sil·i·cone ['si-lə-,kōn] -n

  1. any of various polymeric organic silicon compounds obtained as oils, greases, or plastics and used esp. for water-resistant and heat-resistant lubricants, varnishes, binders, and electric insulators

silicone rubber -n

  1. rubber made from silicone elastomers and noted for its retention of flexibility, resilience, and tensile strength over a wide temperature range

sil·i·con·ized ['si-lə-kə-,nīzd, -,kō-] -adj

  1. treated or coated with a silicone
    • siliconized glassware

silicon nitride -n

  1. any of several compounds of silicon and nitrogen
  2. a compound Si 3N 4that is a hard ceramic used in high-temperature applications and in composites

sil·i·co·sis [,si-lə-'kō-səs] -n, adj or n

  1. pneumoconiosis characterized by massive fibrosis of the lungs resulting in shortness of breath and caused by prolonged inhalation of silica dusts

si·lique [sə-'lēk] -n

  1. a narrow elongated 2-valved usu. many-seeded capsule that is characteristic of the mustard family, opens by sutures at either margin, and has two parietal placentas

silk ['silk] -n, adj

  1. a fine continuous protein fiber produced by various insect larvae usu. for cocoons
  2. a lustrous tough elastic fiber produced by silkworms and used for textiles
  3. thread, yarn, or fabric made from silk filaments
  4. a garment of silk
  5. a distinctive silk gown worn by a King's or Queen's Counsel
  6. a King's or Queen's Counsel
  7. the colored cap and blouse of a jockey or harness horse driver made in the registered racing color of the employing stable
  8. a filament resembling silk
  9. one produced by a spider
  10. silky material
    • milkweed silk
  11. the styles of an ear of Indian corn
  12. parachute
  13. to develop the silk

silk cotton -n

  1. the silky or cottony covering of seeds of various silk-cotton trees
  2. kapok

silkcotton tree -n

  1. any of various tropical trees (family Bombacaceae, the silk-cotton family) with palmate leaves and large fruits with the seeds enveloped by silk cotton
  2. ceiba

silk·en ['sil-kən] -adj

  1. made or consisting of silk
  2. : resembling silk: as
  3. soft, lustrous
  4. agreeably smooth : harmonious
    • a silken voice
  5. suave, ingratiating
  6. dressed in silk
    • silken ankles
  7. having a richly luxurious quality
    • the same silken surroundings encountered at the restaurant's far more expensive evening meal -- Elaine Tait

silk gland -n

  1. : a gland that produces a viscid fluid which is extruded in filaments and hardens into silk on exposure to air: as
  2. either of a pair of greatly enlarged and modified salivary glands of an insect larva that produce a compound filament from which a larval or pupal cover (as a cocoon) is spun
  3. any of two or more abdominal glands of a spider that open through spinnerets and produce a filament used chiefly in the spinning of webs

silk hat -n

  1. a hat with a tall cylindrical crown and a silk-plush finish worn by men as a dress hat

silk moth -n

  1. the common silkworm ( Bombyx mori)
  2. saturniid
  3. one (as the cecropia moth) that produces a cocoon of silk

silk oak -n

  1. any of various Australian timber trees (esp. genus Grevillea) of the protea family that have mottled wood used in cabinetmaking and veneering called also silky oak

silk screen -n, vt

  1. a stencil process in which coloring matter is forced onto the material to be printed through the meshes of a silk or organdy screen so prepared as to have pervious printing areas and impervious nonprinting areas
  2. a print made by this process

silkstock·ing ['silk-'stä-kiŋ] -adj

  1. aristocratic, wealthy
    • a silkstocking district
    • a silkstocking law firm
  2. fashionably dressed
    • a silkstocking audience
  3. of or relating to the American Federalist party

silk stocking -n

  1. an aristocratic or wealthy person
  2. a fashionably dressed person
  3. federalist

silk tree -n

  1. a leguminous Asian tree ( Albizia julibrissin) naturalized esp. in the southeastern U.S. and having pink flowers with long silky stamens called also mimosa

silk·weed ['silk-,wēd] -n

  1. milkweed

silk·worm [-,wərm] -n

  1. a moth whose larva spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon
  2. an Asian moth ( Bombyx moriof the family Bombycidae) whose rough wrinkled hairless caterpillar produces the silk of commerce

silky ['sil-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. silken
  2. silken
  3. smooth or fluid in motion
    • silky dance moves
  4. having or covered with fine soft hairs, plumes, or scales

silky terrier -n

  1. any of a breed of low-set toy terriers of Australian origin that have a flat silky glossy coat colored blue with tan on the head, chest, and legs called also silky

sill ['sil] -n

  1. : a horizontal piece (as a timber) that forms the lowest member or one of the lowest members of a framework or supporting structure: as
  2. the horizontal member at the base of a window
  3. the threshold of a door
  4. a tabular body of igneous rock injected while molten between sedimentary or volcanic beds or along foliation planes of metamorphic rocks
  5. a submerged ridge at relatively shallow depth separating the basins of two bodies of water

sillabub ['si-lə-,bəb] -n

(variant of syllabub)

  1. milk or cream that is curdled with an acid beverage (as wine or cider) and often sweetened and served as a drink or topping or thickened with gelatin and served as a dessert

sil·li·man·ite ['si-lə-mə-,nīt] -n

  1. a brown, grayish, or pale green mineral that consists of an aluminum silicate in orthorhombic crystals often occurring in fibrous or columnar forms

sil·ly ['si-lē] -adj, adv, n, n or adv

  1. helpless, weak
  2. rustic, plain
  3. lowly in station : humble
  4. weak in intellect : foolish
  5. exhibiting or indicative of a lack of common sense or sound judgment
    • a very silly mistake
  6. trifling, frivolous
  7. being stunned or dazed
    • scared silly
    • knocked me silly

silly season -n

  1. a period (as late summer) when the mass media often focus on trivial or frivolous matters for lack of major news stories
  2. a period marked by frivolous, outlandish, or illogical activity or behavior

si·lo ['sī-(,)lō] -n

  1. a trench, pit, or esp. a tall cylinder (as of wood or concrete) usu. sealed to exclude air and used for making and storing silage
  2. a deep bin for storing material (as coal)
  3. an underground structure for housing a guided missile

si·lox·ane [sə-'läk-,sān, sī-] -n

  1. any of various compounds containing alternate silicon and oxygen atoms in either a linear or cyclic arrangement usu. with one or two organic groups attached to each silicon atom

silt ['silt] -n, adj

  1. loose sedimentary material with rock particles usu. millimeter or less in diameter
  2. soil containing 80 percent or more of such silt and less than 12 percent of clay
  3. a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
  4. to become choked or obstructed with silt often used with up
    • the channel silt ed up
  5. to choke, fill, cover, or obstruct with silt or mud

silt·stone ['silt-,stōn] -n

  1. a rock composed chiefly of silt hardened by heat, pressure, or cementation

Sil·u·res ['sil-yə-,rēz] -n

  1. a people of ancient Britain described by Tacitus as occupying chiefly southern Wales

Si·lu·ri·an [sī-'lu̇r-ē-ən, sə-] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to the Silures or their place of habitation
  2. of, relating to, or being a period of the Paleozoic era between the Ordovician and Devonian or the corresponding system of rocks marked by numerous eurypterid crustaceans and the appearance of the first land plants

sil·va ['sil-və] -n

  1. the forest trees of a region or country

silvan ['sil-vən] -n

(variant of sylvan)

  1. one that frequents groves or woods

sil·ver ['sil-vər] -n

  1. a white ductile very malleable metallic element that is capable of a high degree of polish, is chiefly monovalent in compounds, and has the highest thermal and electric conductivity of any substance
  2. silver as a commodity
    • the value of silver has risen
  3. coin made of silver
  4. articles (as hollowware or table flatware) made of or plated with silver
  5. similar articles and esp. flatware of other metals (as stainless steel)
  6. a nearly neutral slightly brownish medium gray
  7. coho
  8. a silver medal awarded as the second prize in a competiton

silver -adj

  1. made of silver
  2. : resembling silver: as
  3. having a white lustrous sheen
  4. of or tending towards the color silver
    • silver fur
    • a silver gray
  5. giving a soft resonant sound : dulcet in tone
  6. eloquently persuasive
  7. consisting of or yielding silver
  8. of, relating to, or characteristic of silver
  9. advocating the use of silver as a standard of currency
  10. of, relating to, or being a 25th anniversary or its celebration
  11. to cover with silver (as by electroplating)
  12. to coat with a substance (as a metal) resembling silver
  13. to give a silvery luster to
  14. to make white like silver

silver age -n

  1. a historical period of achievement secondary to that of a golden age

sil·ver·back ['sil-vər-,bak] -n

  1. an older adult usu. dominant male gorilla having gray or whitish hair on the back

silver bell -n

  1. any of a genus ( Halesia) of deciduous trees and shrubs of the storax family
  2. one ( H. carolina) of the southeastern U.S. cultivated for its bell-shaped white flowers

sil·ver·ber·ry ['sil-vər-,ber-ē] -n

  1. a No. American shrub ( Elaeagnus commutata) of the oleaster family with silvery deciduous foliage

silver bromide -n

  1. a compound AgBr that is extremely sensitive to light and is much used for photographic materials

silver bullet -n

  1. something that acts as a magical weapon
  2. one that instantly solves a long-standing problem

silver certificate -n

  1. a certificate formerly issued against the deposit of silver coin as legal tender in the U.S. and its possessions

silver chloride -n

  1. a compound AgCl that is sensitive to light and is used esp. for photographic materials

silver cord -n

  1. the emotional tie between a mother and a child and esp. a son

silver fir -n

  1. any of various firs (genus Abies) with leaves that are white or silvery white beneath
  2. a valuable European timber tree ( A. alba)

sil·ver·fish ['sil-vər-,fish] -n

  1. any of various silvery fishes (as a tarpon or silverside)
  2. any of various small wingless insects (order Thysanura)
  3. one ( Lepisma saccharina) found in houses and sometimes injurious esp. to sized papers or starched clothes

silver fox -n

  1. a genetically determined color phase of the common red fox in which the fur is black tipped with white

silver hake -n

  1. a common hake ( Merluccius bilinearis) of the northern Atlantic coast of the U.S. that is an important food fish

silver iodide -n

  1. a compound AgI that darkens on exposure to light and is used in photography, rainmaking, and medicine

silver lining -n

  1. a consoling or hopeful prospect

sil·ver·ly ['sil-vər-lē] -adv

  1. with silvery appearance or sound

silver maple -n

  1. a common maple ( Acer saccharinum) of eastern No. America with deeply cut 5-lobed leaves that are light green above and silvery white below
  2. the hard close-grained but brittle light brown wood of the silver maple

sil·vern ['sil-vərn] -adj

  1. made of silver
  2. resembling or characteristic of silver : silvery

silver nitrate -n

  1. an irritant compound AgNO 3that in contact with organic matter turns black and is used as a chemical reagent, in photography, and in medicine esp. as an antiseptic and caustic

silver paper -n

  1. tin foil

silver perch -n

  1. : any of various somewhat silvery fishes that resemble perch: as
  2. a drum ( Bairdiella chrysoura) that occurs esp. along the more southern Atlantic coast of the U.S. called also mademoiselle yellowtail
  3. white perch

silver plate -n

  1. domestic flatware and hollowware of silver or of a silver-plated base metal
  2. a plating of silver

sil·ver·point ['sil-vər-,pȯint] -n

  1. a drawing technique utilizing a pencil of silver usu. on specially prepared paper or parchment

silver protein -n

  1. any of several colloidal light-sensitive preparations of silver and protein used in aqueous solution on mucous membranes as antiseptics

silver salmon -n

  1. coho

silver screen -n

  1. a motion-picture screen
  2. motion pictures

sil·ver·side ['sil-vər-,sīd] -n

  1. any of various small chiefly marine bony fishes (family Atherinidae) with a silvery stripe along each side of the body

sil·ver·sides ['sil-vər-,sīdz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. silverside

sil·ver·smith [-,smith] -n

  1. an artisan who makes articles of silverware

silver spoon -n

  1. wealth
  2. inherited wealth

silver standard -n

  1. a monetary standard under which the currency unit is defined by a stated quantity of silver

Silver Star -n

  1. a U.S. military decoration awarded for gallantry in action called also Silver Star Medal

sil·ver·sword ['sil-vər-,sȯrd] -n

  1. a long-lived composite plant ( Argyroxiphium sandwicense) of Maui and Hawaii that has a rosette of lanceolate leaves covered with silvery hairs and that dies after producing a very tall raceme of numerous usu. purplish or reddish flowers

sil·vertongued ['sil-vər-,təŋd] -adj

  1. marked by convincing and eloquent expression
    • a silvertongued politician

sil·ver·ware ['sil-vər-,wer] -n

  1. silver plate
  2. flatware

sil·ver·weed [-,wēd] -n

  1. any of several cinquefoils with leaves silvery or white-tomentose beneath
  2. one ( Potentilla anserina) with silky hairs over the entire plant

sil·very ['sil-v(ə-)rē] -adj, n

  1. having the luster of silver
  2. having a soft high clear musical tone
    • a silvery voice
  3. containing or consisting of silver

sil·vex ['sil-,veks] -n

  1. a toxic selective herbicide C 9H 7Cl 3O 3formerly used in controlling woody plants

sil·vi·cul·ture ['sil-və-,kəl-chər] -n, adj, adv

  1. a branch of forestry dealing with the development and care of forests

sim -abbr

  1. simulation; simulator

si·ma·zine ['sī-mə-,zēn] -n

  1. a selective herbicide C 7H 12N 5Cl used to control weeds esp. among crop plants

SIM card ['sim] -n

  1. a card that is inserted into a device (as a cell phone) and that is used to store data (as phone numbers or contact information)

Sim·chas To·rah [,sim-k̲əs-'tȯr-ə] -n

  1. a Jewish holiday observed on the 23d of Tishri in celebration of the completion of the annual reading of the Torah

Sim·e·on ['si-mē-ən] -n

  1. a son of Jacob and the traditional eponymous ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel
  2. a devout man of Jerusalem held to have uttered the Nunc Dimittis on seeing the infant Jesus in the temple

sim·i·an ['si-mē-ən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling monkeys or apes

simian -n

  1. monkey, ape
  2. any of a suborder (Anthropoidea) of primates that includes monkeys, apes, and humans

simian immunodeficiency virus -n

  1. siv

sim·i·lar ['si-mə-lər, 'sim-lər] -adj, adv

  1. having characteristics in common : strictly comparable
  2. alike in substance or essentials : corresponding
    • no two animal habitats are exactly similar -- W. H. Dowdeswell
  3. not differing in shape but only in size or position

sim·i·lar·i·ty [,si-mə-'la-rə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being similar : resemblance
  2. a comparable aspect : correspondence

sim·i·le ['si-mə-(,)lē] -n

  1. a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by likeor as(as in cheeks like roses)

si·mil·i·tude [sə-'mi-lə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. counterpart, double
  2. a visible likeness : image
  3. an imaginative comparison : simile
  4. correspondence in kind or quality
  5. a point of comparison

SIMM -abbr

  1. single in-line memory module

Sim·men·tal ['zi-mən-,täl] -n

  1. any of a breed of large usu. buff or dull red and white cattle of Swiss origin that are used widely throughout the world for meat and milk

sim·mer ['si-mər] -vb

  1. to stew gently below or just at the boiling point
  2. to be in a state of incipient development : ferment
    • ideas simmer ing in the back of my mind
  3. to be in inward turmoil : seethe
  4. to cook slowly in a liquid just below the boiling point

simmer -n

  1. the state of simmering

simmer down -vi

  1. to become calm or peaceful
  2. to become reduced by or as if by simmering

sim·nel ['sim-nᵊl] -n

  1. a bun or bread of fine wheat flour
  2. a rich fruitcake sometimes coated with almond paste and baked for mid-Lent, Easter, and Christmas

si·mo·le·on [sə-'mō-lē-ən] -n

  1. dollar

Si·mon ['sī-mən] -n

  1. peter called also Simon Peter
  2. one of the twelve disciples of Jesus called also Simon the Zealot
  3. a kinsman of Jesus
  4. a Cyrenian constrained to help Jesus bear his cross to his place of crucifixion called also Simon the Cyrenian
  5. simon magus

si·mo·ni·ac [sī-'mō-nē-,ak, sə-] -n, adj, adv

  1. one who practices simony

si·mo·nize ['sī-mə-,nīz] -vt

  1. to polish with or as if with wax
    • simonize a car

Si·mon Le·gree [,sī-mən-lə-'grē] -n

  1. a slave owner who has Tom flogged to death in Harriet B. Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin

Simon Ma·gus [-'mā-gəs] -n

  1. a Samaritan sorcerer converted by the apostle Philip and severely rebuked by Peter for offering money for the gifts of the Holy Spirit

si·monpure [,sī-mən-'pyu̇r] -adj

  1. of untainted purity or integrity
  2. pretentiously or hypocritically pure

si·mo·ny ['sī-mə-nē, 'si-] -n

  1. the buying or selling of a church office or ecclesiastical preferment

si·moom [sə-'müm, sī-] -n

  1. a hot dry violent dust-laden wind from Asian and African deserts

simp ['simp] -n

  1. simpleton

sim·pa·ti·co [sim-'pä-ti-,kō, -'pa-] -adj

  1. agreeable, likable
  2. being on the same wavelength : congenial, sympathetic

sim·per ['sim-pər] -vb, n

  1. to smile in a silly manner
  2. to say with a simper
    • simper ed an apology

simper -n

  1. a silly smile : smirk

sim·ple ['sim-pəl] -adj, n

  1. free from guile : innocent
  2. free from vanity : modest
  3. free from ostentation or display
    • a simple outfit
  4. of humble origin or modest position
    • a simple farmer
  5. lacking in knowledge or expertise
    • a simple amateur of the arts
  6. stupid
  7. mentally retarded
  8. not socially or culturally sophisticated : naive
  9. credulous
  10. sheer, unmixed
    • simple honesty
  11. free of secondary complications
    • a simple vitamin deficiency
  12. having only one main clause and no subordinate clauses
    • a simple sentence
  13. having no modifiers, complements, or objects
  14. constituting a basic element : fundamental
  15. not made up of many like units
    • a simple eye
  16. free from elaboration or figuration
    • simple harmony
  17. not subdivided into branches or leaflets
    • a simple stem
    • a simple leaf
  18. consisting of a single carpel
  19. developing from a single ovary
    • a simple fruit
  20. controlled by a single gene
    • simple inherited characters
  21. not limited or restricted : unconditional
    • a simple obligation
  22. readily understood or performed
    • simple directions
    • the adjustment was simple to make
  23. specifying exact values for one or more statistical parameters

simple -n

  1. a person of humble birth : commoner
    • thought very little of anybody, simple s or gentry -- Virginia Woolf
  2. a rude or credulous person : ignoramus
  3. a mentally retarded person
  4. a medicinal plant
  5. a vegetable drug having only one ingredient
  6. one component of a complex
  7. an unanalyzable constituent

simple closed curve -n

  1. a closed plane curve (as a circle or an ellipse) that does not intersect itself called also Jordan curve

simple equation -n

  1. a linear equation

simple fraction -n

  1. a fraction having whole numbers for the numerator and denominator

simple fracture -n

  1. a bone fracture that does not form an open wound in the skin

simple interest -n

  1. interest paid or computed on the original principal only of a loan or on the amount of an account

simple machine -n

  1. any of various elementary mechanisms formerly considered as the elements of which all machines are composed and including the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw

sim·ple·mind·ed [,sim-pəl-'mīn-dəd, 'sim-pəl-,] -adj, adv, n

  1. devoid of subtlety : unsophisticated
  2. foolish

simple protein -n

  1. a protein (as a globulin) that yields amino acids as the chief or only products of complete hydrolysis

simple sugar -n

  1. monosaccharide

sim·ple·ton ['sim-pəl-tən] -n

  1. a person lacking in common sense

simple vow -n

  1. a public vow taken by a religious in the Roman Catholic Church under which retention of property by the individual is permitted and marriage though illicit is valid under canon law

sim·plex ['sim-,pleks] -adj

  1. simple, single
  2. allowing telecommunication in only one direction
    • a simplex system

simplex [-plə-,sēz] -n

  1. a simple word
  2. a spatial configuration of ndimensions determined by n 1 points in a space of dimension equal to or greater than n
    • a triangle together with its interior determined by its three vertices is a two-dimensional simplex in the plane or any space of higher dimension

sim·pli·cial [sim-'pli-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to simplexes

sim·plic·i·ty [sim-'pli-sə-tē, -'plis-tē] -n

  1. the state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded
  2. lack of subtlety or penetration : innocence, naivete
  3. folly, silliness
  4. freedom from pretense or guile : candor
  5. directness of expression : clarity
  6. restraint in ornamentation : austerity

sim·pli·fy ['sim-plə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. : to make simple or simpler: as
  2. to reduce to basic essentials
  3. to diminish in scope or complexity : streamline
    • was urged to simplify management procedures
  4. to make more intelligible : clarify

sim·plism ['sim-,pli-zəm] -n

  1. the act or an instance of oversimplifying
  2. the reduction of a problem to a false simplicity by ignoring complicating factors

sim·plis·tic [sim-'plis-tik] -adj, adv

  1. simple
  2. of, relating to, or characterized by simplism : oversimple
    • adequate, if occasionally simplistic, historical background -- Harlow Robinson

sim·ply ['sim-plē, for 1 also -pə-lē] -adv

  1. without ambiguity : clearly
  2. without embellishment : plainly
  3. directly, candidly
  4. solely, merely
    • eats simply to keep alive
    • simply cleaned it up and went to bed -- Garrison Keillor
  5. really, literally
    • the concert was simply marvelous
    often used as an intensive
    • simply crawling with geniuses -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

simply connected -adj

  1. being or characterized by a surface that is divided into two separate parts by every closed curve it contains

simply ordered -adj

  1. having any two elements connected by a relationship that is reflexive, antisymmetric, and transitive

Simp·son's rule ['sim(p)-sənz-] -n

  1. a method for approximating the area under a curve over a given interval that involves partitioning the interval by an odd number n 1 of equally spaced ordinates and adding the areas of the n/2 figures formed by pairs of successive odd-numbered ordinates and the parabolas which they determine with their included even-numbered ordinates

sim·u·la·cre ['sim-yə-,lā-kər, -,la-] -n

  1. simulacrum

sim·u·la·crum [,sim-yə-'la-krəm, -'lā-] -n

  1. image, representation
    • a reasonable simulacrum of reality -- Martin Mayer
  2. an insubstantial form or semblance of something : trace

sim·u·lar ['sim-yə-lər, -,lär] -n

  1. one that simulates : dissembler

simular -adj

  1. counterfeit, pretended

sim·u·late ['sim-yə-,lāt] -vt, adj

  1. to give or assume the appearance or effect of often with the intent to deceive : imitate
  2. to make a simulation of (as a physical system)

simulated -adj

  1. made to look genuine : fake
    • simulated pearls

sim·u·la·tion [,sim-yə-'lā-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of simulating
  2. a sham object : counterfeit
  3. the imitative representation of the functioning of one system or process by means of the functioning of another
    • a computer simulation of an industrial process
  4. examination of a problem often not subject to direct experimentation by means of a simulating device

sim·u·la·tor ['sim-yə-,lā-tər] -n

  1. one that simulates
  2. a device that enables the operator to reproduce or represent under test conditions phenomena likely to occur in actual performance

si·mul·cast ['sī-məl-,kast also 'si-] -vb, n

  1. to broadcast simultaneously (as by radio and television)
  2. to broadcast (a program) by simulcasting

si·mul·ta·neous [,sī-məl-'tā-nē-əs, -nyəs also ,si-] -adj, n, adv

  1. existing or occurring at the same time : exactly coincident
  2. satisfied by the same values of the variables
    • simultaneous equations

sim·va·stat·in ['sim-və-,sta-tᵊn, ,sim-və-'sta-] -n

  1. a semisynthetic drug C 25H 38O 5that decreases the level of cholesterol in the bloodstream and is derived from a compound produced by a mold ( Aspergillus terreus)

sin ['sin] -n

  1. an offense against religious or moral law
  2. an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible
    • it's a sin to waste food
  3. an often serious shortcoming : fault
  4. transgression of the law of God
  5. a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God
  6. to commit a sin
  7. to commit an offense or fault
  8. the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet
  9. sine

Sin·bad ['sin-,bad] -n

  1. a citizen of Baghdad whose adventures at sea are told in the Arabian Nights' Entertainments

since ['sin(t)s] -adv

  1. from a definite past time until now
    • has stayed there ever since
  2. before the present time : ago
    • long since dead
  3. after a time in the past : subsequently
    • has since become rich
  4. at a time in the past after or later than
    • has held two jobs since he graduated
    : from the time in the past when
    • ever since I was a child
  5. when
  6. in view of the fact that : because
    • since it was raining she took an umbrella
  7. in the period after a specified time in the past : from a specified time in the past

sin·cere [sin-'sir, sən-] -adj, adv, n

  1. free of dissimulation : honest
    • a sincere interest
  2. free from adulteration : pure
    • a sincere doctrine
    • sincere wine
  3. marked by genuineness : true

sin·cer·i·ty [-'ser-ə-tē, -'sir-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being sincere : honesty of mind : freedom from hypocrisy

sin·cip·i·tal [sin-'si-pə-tᵊl] -adj

  1. of or relating to the sinciput

sin·ci·put ['sin(t)-sə-(,)pət] -n

  1. forehead
  2. the upper half of the skull

Sind·hi ['sin-dē] -n

  1. a member of a mostly Muslim people of Sind
  2. the Indo-Aryan language of the Sindhi people

sine ['sīn] -n

  1. the trigonometric function that for an acute angle is the ratio between the leg opposite the angle when it is considered part of a right triangle and the hypotenuse
  2. a trigonometric function sin that for all real numbers is exactly equal to the sine of an angle of measure in radians and that is given by the sum of the alternating series

si·ne·cure ['sī-ni-,kyu̇r, 'si-] -n

  1. an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls
  2. an office or position that requires little or no work and that usu. provides an income

sine curve -n

  1. the graph in rectangular coordinates of the equation yasin bxwhere aand bare constants

si·ne die [,sī-ni-'dī(-,ē), ,si-nā-'dē-,ā] -adv

  1. without any future date being designated (as for resumption) : indefinitely
    • the meeting adjourned sine die

si·ne qua non [,si-ni-,kwä-'nän, -'nōn also ,sē-; also ,sī-ni-,kwā-'nän] -n

  1. something absolutely indispensable or essential
    • reliability is a sine qua non for success

sin·ew ['sin-(,)yü also 'si-(,)nü] -n

  1. tendon
  2. one dressed for use as a cord or thread
  3. nerve
  4. solid resilient strength : power
    • astonishing intellectual sinew and clarity -- Reynolds Price
  5. the chief supporting force : mainstay usu. used in pl.
    • providing the sinew s of better living -- Sam Pollock

sinew -vt

  1. to strengthen as if with sinews

sine wave -n

  1. a waveform that represents periodic oscillations in which the amplitude of displacement at each point is proportional to the sine of the phase angle of the displacement and that is visualized as a sine curve : sine curve
  2. a wave so represented

sin·ewy ['sin-yə-wē also 'si-nə-] -adj

  1. : full of sinews: as
  2. tough, stringy
    • sinewy meat
  3. strong
    • sinewy arms
  4. marked by the strength of sinews
    • a demanding sinewy intelligence -- Helen Dudar

sin·fo·nia [,sin-fə-'nē-ə] -n

  1. an orchestral prelude to a vocal work (as an opera) esp. in the 18th century : overture
  2. ritornello , symphony

sinfonia con·cer·tante [-,kän(t)-sər-'tän-tē, -shər-, -,tā] -n

  1. a concerto for more than one solo instrument

sin·fo·niet·ta [,sin-fən-'ye-tə, -fōn-] -n

  1. a symphony of less than standard length or for fewer instruments
  2. a small symphony orchestra
  3. an orchestra of strings only

sin·ful ['sin-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. tainted with, marked by, or full of sin : wicked
  2. such as to make one feel guilty
    • a sinful chocolate cake

sing ['siŋ] -vb, adj

  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

singalong ['siŋ-ə-,lȯŋ] -n

  1. songfest
  2. a song appropriate for a sing-along

singe ['sinj] -vt

  1. to burn superficially or lightly : scorch
  2. to remove the hair, down, or fuzz from usu. by passing rapidly over a flame
  3. a slight burn : scorch

sing·er ['siŋ-ər] -n

  1. one that sings
  2. one that singes

singing game -n

  1. a children's game in which the players accompany their actions with the singing of a narrative song

sin·gle ['siŋ-gəl] -adj

  1. not married
  2. of or relating to celibacy
  3. unaccompanied by others : lone, sole
    • the single survivor of the disaster
  4. consisting of or having only one part, feature, or portion
    • single consonants
  5. consisting of one as opposed to or in contrast with many : uniform
    • a single standard for men and women
  6. consisting of only one in number
    • holds to a single ideal
  7. having but one whorl of petals or ray flowers
    • a single rose
  8. consisting of a separate unique whole : individual
    • every single citizen
  9. of, relating to, or involving only one person
  10. frank, honest
    • a single devotion
  11. exclusively attentive
    • an eye single to the truth
  12. unbroken, undivided
  13. having no equal or like : singular
  14. designed for the use of one person only
    • a single room
    • a single bed

single -n

  1. a separate individual person or thing
  2. an unmarried person and esp. one young and socially active usu. used in pl.
  3. a recording having one short tune on each side
  4. a music recording having two or more tracks that is shorter than a full-length album
  5. a song that is particularly popular independent of other songs on the same album or by the same artist
  6. a base hit that allows the batter to reach first base
  7. a tennis match or similar game with one player on each side
  8. a golf match between two players usu. used in pl.
  9. a room (as in a hotel) for one guest
  10. to select or distinguish from a number or group usu. used with out
  11. to advance or score (a base runner) by a single
  12. to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a single
  13. to make a single in baseball

sin·gleac·tion ['siŋ-gəl-'ak-shən] -adj

  1. that can be cocked only by manually retracting the hammer

sin·gleblind ['siŋ-gəl-,blīnd] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being an experimental procedure in which the experimenters but not the subjects know the makeup of the test and control groups during the actual course of the experiments

single bond -n

  1. a chemical bond in which one pair of electrons is shared by two atoms in a molecule esp. when the atoms can share more than one pair of electrons

sin·glebreast·ed ['siŋ-gəl-'bres-təd] -adj

  1. having a center closing with one row of buttons and no lap
    • a singlebreasted coat

single combat -n

  1. combat between two persons

single cross -n

  1. a first-generation hybrid between two selected and usu. inbred lines

single entry -n

  1. a method of bookkeeping that recognizes only one side of a business transaction and usu. consists only of a record of cash and personal accounts with debtors and creditors

single file -n, adv

  1. a row of persons, animals, or things arranged one behind the other

sin·glefoot ['siŋ-gəl-,fu̇t] -n

  1. rack

singlefoot -vi, n

  1. to go at a rack

sin·glehand·ed [,siŋ-gəl-'han-dəd] -adj, adv

  1. managed or done by one person or with one on a side
  2. working alone or unassisted by others

singlehanded -adv

  1. in a single-handed manner

sin·glehand·er [-'han-dər] -n

  1. a person who sails single-handed

sin·gleheart·ed [,siŋ-gəl-'här-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. characterized by sincerity and unity of purpose or dedication

single knot -n

  1. overhand knot

singlelens reflex ['siŋ-gəl-'lenz-] -n

  1. a camera having a single lens that forms an image which is reflected to the viewfinder or recorded on film

single malt -n

  1. whiskey that is made at one distillery and is not blended with other whiskeys

sin·glemind·ed [,siŋ-gəl-'mīn-dəd, 'siŋ-gəl-,] -adj, adv, n

  1. having one driving purpose or resolve : determined, dedicated

sin·gle·ness ['siŋ-gəl-nəs] -n

  1. the quality or state of being single

sin·glepay·er [-'pā-ər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a system in which health-care providers are paid for their services by the government rather than by private insurers

sin·glephase ['siŋ-gəl-'fāz] -adj

  1. of or relating to a circuit energized by a single alternating electromotive force

sin·glespace [-'spās] -vt

  1. to type or print with no blank lines between lines of text

sin·gle·stick [-,stik] -n

  1. fighting or fencing with a wooden stick or sword held in one hand
  2. the weapon used

sin·glet ['siŋ-glət] -n

  1. an athletic jersey
  2. undershirt
  3. an atom or molecule that has no net electronic magnetic moment
  4. an excited state of an atom or molecule that is a singlet

single tax -n

  1. a tax to be levied on a single item (as real estate) as the sole source of public revenue

sin·gle·ton ['siŋ-gəl-tən] -n

  1. a card that is the only one of its suit orig. dealt to a player
  2. an individual member or thing distinct from others grouped with it
  3. an offspring born singly
    • singleton s are more common than twins

sin·gletrack ['siŋ-gəl-'trak] -adj

  1. having only one track
  2. lacking intellectual range, receptiveness, or flexibility : one-track
    • had a singletrack mind incapable of adjusting to changes

sin·gle·tree ['siŋ-gəl-(,)trē] -n

  1. whiffletree

sin·gleval·ued [,siŋ-gəl-'val-(,)yüd] -adj

  1. having one and only one value of the range associated with each value of the domain
    • a singlevalued function

single wing -n

  1. an offensive football formation in which one back plays as a flanker and two backs line up four or five yards behind the line in position to receive a direct snap from center

sin·gly ['siŋ-g(ə-)lē] -adv

  1. without the company of others : individually
  2. single-handed

sing·song ['siŋ-,sȯŋ] -n, adj

  1. verse with marked and regular rhythm and rhyme
  2. a voice delivery marked by a narrow range or monotonous pattern of pitch
  3. songfest

singsong -adj

  1. having a monotonous cadence or rhythm

sing·spiel ['siŋ-,spēl, 'ziŋ-,shpēl] -n

  1. a musical work popular in Germany esp. in the latter part of the 18th century characterized by spoken dialogue interspersed with songs

sin·gu·lar ['siŋ-gyə-lər] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to a separate person or thing : individual
  2. of, relating to, or being a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance
    • a singular noun
  3. of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself
  4. distinguished by superiority : exceptional
    • an artist of singular attainments
  5. being out of the ordinary : unusual
    • on the way home we had a singular adventure
  6. departing from general usage or expectation : peculiar, odd
    • the air had a singular chill
  7. having a determinant equal to zero
  8. having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero

singular -n

  1. the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form
  2. a singular term

sin·gu·lar·i·ty [,siŋ-gyə-'la-rə-tē] -n

  1. : something that is singular: as
  2. a separate unit
  3. unusual or distinctive manner or behavior : peculiarity
  4. the quality or state of being singular
  5. a point at which the derivative of a given function of a complex variable does not exist but every neighborhood of which contains points for which the derivative does exist
  6. a point or region of infinite mass density at which space and time are infinitely distorted by gravitational forces and which is held to be the final state of matter falling into a black hole

sin·gu·lar·ize ['siŋ-gyə-lə-,rīz] -vt

  1. to make singular

singular point -n

  1. singularity

Sin·ha·la [sin-'hä-lä, siŋ-] -n

  1. sinhalese

Sin·ha·lese [,siŋ-gə-'lēz, ,sin-(h)ə-, -'lēs] -n, adj

  1. a member of a people that inhabit Sri Lanka and form a major part of its population
  2. the Indo-Aryan language of the Sinhalese people

si·ni·cize ['sī-nə-,sīz, 'si-] -vt

  1. to modify by Chinese influence

sin·is·ter ['si-nəs-tər, archaic sə-'nis-] -adj, adv, n

  1. unfavorable, unlucky
  2. fraudulent
  3. singularly evil or productive of evil
  4. of, relating to, or situated to the left or on the left side of something
  5. being or relating to the side of a heraldic shield at the left of the person bearing it
  6. of ill omen by reason of being on the left
  7. presaging ill fortune or trouble
  8. accompanied by or leading to disaster

si·nis·tral ['si-nəs-trəl, sə-'nis-] -adj

  1. : of, relating to, or inclined to the left: as
  2. left-handed
  3. having the whorls coiling counterclockwise down the spire when viewed with the apex toward the observer and having the aperture situated on the left of the axis when held with the spire uppermost and with the aperture opening toward the observer

si·nis·trous ['si-nəs-trəs, sə-'nis-] -adj

  1. sinister

Si·nit·ic [sī-'ni-tik, sə-] -adj

  1. of or relating to the Chinese, their language, or their culture

sink ['siŋk] -vb, adj

  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

sink·age ['siŋ-kij] -n

  1. depression, indentation
  2. the process or degree of sinking
  3. the distance from the top line of a full page to the first line of lowered matter

sink·er ['siŋ-kər] -n

  1. one that sinks
  2. a weight for sinking a fishing line, seine, or sounding line
  3. doughnut
  4. a fastball that sinks as it reaches the plate called also sinker ball

sink·hole ['siŋk-,hōl] -n

  1. a hollow place or depression in which drainage collects
  2. a hollow in a limestone region that communicates with a cavern or passage
  3. sink
  4. something (as an unprofitable investment) that steadily drains money or resources
    • a financial sinkhole

sinking fund -n

  1. a fund set up and accumulated by usu. regular deposits for paying off the principal of a debt when it falls due

sin·less ['sin-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. free from sin : impeccable

sin·ner ['si-nər] -n

  1. one that sins
  2. reprobate, scamp

Si·no- [,sī-(,)nō, 'sī-, -nə] -comb form

  1. Chinese
    • sino logy
  2. Chinese and
    • Sino- Tibetan

si·no·atri·al [,sī-nō-'ā-trē-əl] -adj

  1. of, involving, or being the sinus node
    • sinoatrial block

sinoatrial node -n

  1. sinus node

si·no·logue ['sī-nə-,lȯg, 'si-, -,läg] -n

  1. a specialist in sinology

si·nol·o·gy [sī-'nä-lə-jē, sə-] -n, adj

  1. the study of the Chinese and esp. their language, literature, history, and culture

si·no·pia [sə-'nō-pē-ə] -n

  1. a red to reddish-brown earth pigment used by the ancients that depends for its color on its content of red ferric oxide
  2. a preliminary drawing for a fresco done in sinopia

Si·noTi·bet·an [,sī-nō-tə-'be-tᵊn, 'sī-] -n

  1. a language family comprising Tibeto-Burman and Chinese

sin·se·mil·la [,sin-sə-'mē-lə, -'mi-; -'mē-yə, -'mēl-] -n

  1. highly potent marijuana from female plants that are specially tended and kept seedless by preventing pollination in order to induce a high resin content
  2. a female hemp plant grown to produce sinsemilla

sin·syne ['sin-,sīn] -adv

  1. since that time

sin tax -n

  1. a tax on substances or activities considered sinful or harmful (as tobacco, alcohol, or gambling)

sin·ter ['sin-tər] -vb, n

  1. to cause to become a coherent mass by heating without melting
  2. to undergo sintering

sin·u·ate ['sin-yə-wət, -,wāt] -adj

  1. having the margin wavy with strong indentations
    • sinuate leaves

sin·u·os·i·ty [,sin-yə-'wä-sə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being sinuous
  2. something that is sinuous

sin·u·ous ['sin-yə-wəs, -yü-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. of a serpentine or wavy form : winding
  2. marked by strong lithe movements
  3. intricate, complex

si·nus ['sī-nəs] -n

  1. : cavity, hollow: as
  2. a narrow elongated tract extending from a focus of suppuration and serving for the discharge of pus
  3. a cavity in the substance of a bone of the skull that usu. communicates with the nostrils and contains air
  4. a channel for venous blood
  5. a dilatation in a bodily canal or vessel
  6. a cleft or indentation between adjoining lobes (as of a leaf or corolla)

si·nus·i·tis [,sīn-yə-'sī-təs, ,sī-nə-] -n

  1. inflammation of a sinus of the skull

sinus node -n

  1. a small mass of tissue that is embedded in the musculature of the right atrium of higher vertebrates and that originates the impulses stimulating the heartbeat

si·nu·soid ['sīn-yə-,sȯid, 'sī-nə-] -n

  1. sine curve, sine wave
  2. a minute endothelium-lined space or passage for blood in the tissues of an organ (as the liver)

si·nu·soi·dal [,sīn-yə-'sȯi-dᵊl, ,sī-nə-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, shaped like, or varying according to a sine curve or sine wave
    • sinusoidal motion
    • sinusoidal alternating current
    • sinusoidal grooves

sinusoidal projection -n

  1. an equal-area map projection capable of showing the entire surface of the earth with all parallels as straight lines evenly spaced, the central meridian as one half the length of the equator, and all other meridians as curved lines

sinus rhythm -n

  1. the rhythm of the heart produced by impulses from the sinus node
    • restored the patient to normal sinus rhythm

si·nus ve·no·sus ['sī-nəs-vi-'nō-səs] -n

  1. an enlarged pouch that adjoins the heart, is formed by the union of the large systemic veins, and is the passage through which venous blood enters the heart in lower vertebrates and in embryos of higher forms

Siou·an ['sü-ən] -n

  1. an American Indian language family of central and southeastern No. America
  2. a member of any of the peoples speaking Siouan languages

Sioux ['sü] -n

  1. dakota
  2. siouan

sip ['sip] -vb, n

  1. to take a sip of something esp. repeatedly
  2. to drink in small quantities
  3. to take sips from
  4. a small draft taken with the lips
  5. the act of sipping

si·phon ['sī-fən] -n

  1. a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow
  2. a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened
  3. any of various tubular organs in animals and esp. mollusks or arthropods that are used for drawing in or ejecting fluids

siphon ['sī-fə-niŋ, 'sīf-niŋ] -vb

  1. to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon often used with off
  2. to pass by or as if by a siphon

si·pho·no·phore [sī-'fä-nə-,fȯr, 'sī-fə-nə-] -n

  1. any of an order (Siphonophora) of compound free-swimming or floating pelagic hydrozoans that are mostly delicate, transparent, and colored and have specialized zooids

si·pho·no·stele [sī-'fä-nə-,stēl, ,sī-fə-nə-'stē-lē] -n

  1. a stele consisting of vascular tissue surrounding a central core of pith parenchyma

sip·pet ['si-pət] -n

  1. a small bit of toast or fried bread esp. for garnishing

sir ['sər] -n

  1. a man entitled to be addressed as sir used as a title before the given name of a knight or baronet and formerly sometimes before the given name of a priest
  2. a man of rank or position
  3. used as a usu. respectful form of address
  4. used as a conventional form of address in the salutation of a letter

Si·rach ['sī-rak also sə-'räk] -n

  1. a didactic book of the Roman Catholic canon of the Old Testament

sir·dar ['sər-,där, sər-'] -n

  1. a person of high rank (as a hereditary noble) esp. in India
  2. the commander of the Anglo-Egyptian army
  3. one (as a foreman) holding a responsible position esp. in India

sire ['sī(-ə)r] -n

  1. father
  2. male ancestor : forefather
  3. author, originator
  4. a man of rank or authority
  5. lord used formerly as a form of address and as a title
  6. an elderly man : senior
  7. the male parent of an animal and esp. of a domestic animal
  8. beget used esp. of male domestic animals
  9. to bring into being : originate

si·ren ['sī-rən, for 3 also sī-'rēn] -n

  1. any of a group of female and partly human creatures in Greek mythology that lured mariners to destruction by their singing
  2. a woman who sings with enchanting sweetness
  3. temptress
  4. temptation
  5. an apparatus producing musical tones esp. in acoustical studies by the rapid interruption of a current of air, steam, or fluid by a perforated rotating disk
  6. a device often electrically operated for producing a penetrating warning sound
    • an ambulance siren
    • an air-raid siren
  7. either of two No. American eel-shaped amphibians that constitute a genus ( Siren) and have small forelimbs but neither hind legs nor pelvis and have permanent external gills as well as lungs
  8. resembling that of a siren : enticing

si·re·ni·an [sī-'rē-nē-ən] -n, adj

  1. any of an order (Sirenia) of aquatic herbivorous mammals (as a manatee, dugong, or Steller's sea cow) that have large forelimbs resembling paddles, no hind limbs, and a flattened tail resembling a fin

siren song -n

  1. an alluring utterance or appeal
  2. one that is seductive or deceptive

Sir·i·us ['sir-ē-əs] -n

  1. a star of the constellation Canis Major that is the brightest star in the heavens called also Dog Star

sir·loin ['sər-,lȯin] -n

  1. a cut of meat and esp. of beef from the part of the hindquarter just in front of the round

si·roc·co [shə-'rä-(,)kō, sə-] -n

  1. a hot dust-laden wind from the Libyan deserts that blows on the northern Mediterranean coast chiefly in Italy, Malta, and Sicily
  2. a warm moist oppressive southeast wind in the same regions
  3. a hot or warm wind of cyclonic origin from an arid or heated region

sir·rah ['sir-ə] -n

  1. used as a form of address implying inferiority in the person addressed

sir·ree [(,)sər-'ē] -n

  1. sir used as an emphatic form usu. after yes or no

sirreverence -n

  1. used as an expression of apology before a statement that might be taken as offensive
  2. human feces
  3. a lump of human feces

Sir Rog·er de Cov·er·ley [sə(r)-,rä-jər-di-'kə-vər-lē] -n

  1. an English country-dance that resembles the Virginia reel

sirup ['sər-əp, 'sir-əp, 'sə-rəp] -n, adj

(variant of syrup)

  1. a thick sticky solution of sugar and water often flavored or medicated
  2. the concentrated juice of a fruit or plant
  3. cloying sweetness or sentimentality

sir·vente [sir-'vänt] -n

  1. a usu. moral or religious song of the Provenal troubadours satirizing social vices

sis ['sis] -n

  1. sister usu. used in direct address

SIS -abbr

  1. Secret Intelligence Service (Brit)

si·sal ['sī-səl, -zəl] -n

  1. a strong durable white fiber used esp. for hard fiber cordage and twine called also sisal hemp
  2. a widely cultivated Mexican agave ( Agave sisalana) whose leaves yield sisal
  3. any of several fibers similar to true sisal

sis·kin ['sis-kən] -n

  1. a small chiefly greenish and yellowish finch ( Carduelis spinus) of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa that is related to the goldfinch

sis·si·fied ['si-si-,fīd] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a sissy

sis·sy ['si-sē] -n, adj

  1. an effeminate man or boy
  2. a timid or cowardly person

sis·ter ['sis-tər] -n

  1. a female who has one or both parents in common with another
  2. a member of a women's religious order (as of nuns or deaconesses)
  3. one of a Roman Catholic congregation under simple vows
  4. a girl or woman who is a member of a Christian church
  5. a girl or woman regarded as a comrade
  6. a girl or woman who shares with another a common national or racial origin
  7. a black girl or woman
  8. one that is closely similar to or associated with another
    • sister schools
    • sister cities
  9. nurse
  10. girl, woman
  11. person usu. used in the phrase weak sister
  12. a member of a sorority

sis·ter·hood [-,hu̇d] -n

  1. the state of being a sister
  2. sisterly relationship
  3. a community or society of sisters
  4. a society of women in a religious order
  5. the solidarity of women based on shared conditions, experiences, or concerns

sis·terinlaw ['sis-t(ə-)rən-,lȯ, -tərn-,lȯ] -n

  1. the sister of one's spouse
  2. the wife of one's brother
  3. the wife of one's spouse's brother

sis·ter·ly ['sis-tər-lē] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a sister

Sis·tine ['sis-,tēn, sis-'] -adj

  1. of or relating to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican
  2. of or relating to any of the popes named Sixtus

Si·swa·ti [sē-'swä-tē] -n

  1. the Bantu language of the Swazi people spoken in Swaziland and adjacent countries

Sis·y·phe·an [,si-sə-'fē-ən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of the labors of Sisyphus
    • a Sisyphean task

Sis·y·phus ['si-sə-fəs] -n

  1. a legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeat the cycle of rolling a heavy rock up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again as it nears the top

sit ['sit] -vb

  1. to rest on the buttocks or haunches
    • sit in a chair
    often used with down
  2. perch, roost
  3. to occupy a place as a member of an official body
    • sit in Congress
  4. to hold a session : be in session for official business
  5. to cover eggs for hatching : brood
  6. to take a position for having one's portrait painted or for being photographed
  7. to serve as a model
  8. to have one's dwelling place : dwell
  9. to lie or hang relative to a wearer
    • the collar sit s awkwardly
  10. to affect one with or as if with weight
    • the food sat heavily on his stomach
  11. lie, rest
    • a kettle sitting on the stove
  12. to have a location
    • the house sit s well back from the road
  13. to blow from a certain direction
  14. to remain inactive or quiescent
    • the car sit s in the garage
  15. to take an examination
  16. babysit
  17. to please or agree with one used with with and an adverb
    • the decision did not sit well with me
  18. to cause to be seated : place on or in a seat often used with down
  19. to sit on (eggs)
  20. to keep one's seat on
    • sit a horse
  21. to provide seats or seating room for
  22. the manner in which a garment fits
  23. an act or period of sitting

si·tar [si-'tär, 'si-,] -n

  1. an Indian lute with a long neck and a varying number of strings

sit·com ['sit-,käm] -n

  1. situation comedy

sitdown ['sit-'dau̇n] -adj

  1. served to seated diners
    • a sitdown dinner
  2. of, relating to, or serving sit-down meals
    • a sitdown restaurant
  3. a cessation of work by employees while maintaining continuous occupation of their place of employment as a protest and means toward forcing compliance with demands
  4. a mass obstruction of an activity by sitting down to demonstrate a grievance or to get the activity modified or halted
  5. a meeting held esp. to discuss and resolve problems or conflicts

site ['sīt] -n

  1. the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (as a building, town, or monuments)
  2. a space of ground occupied or to be occupied by a building
  3. the place, scene, or point of an occurrence or event
    • a picnic site
  4. one or more Internet addresses at which an individual or organization provides information to others
    • an FTP site
  5. web site
  6. to place on a site or in position : locate

sith ['sin(t)s] -adv

(variant of since)

  1. from a definite past time until now
    • has stayed there ever since
  2. before the present time : ago
    • long since dead
  3. after a time in the past : subsequently
    • has since become rich
  4. at a time in the past after or later than
    • has held two jobs since he graduated
    : from the time in the past when
    • ever since I was a child
  5. when
  6. in view of the fact that : because
    • since it was raining she took an umbrella
  7. in the period after a specified time in the past : from a specified time in the past

sitin ['sit-,in] -n

  1. sit-down
  2. an act of occupying seats in a racially segregated establishment in organized protest against discrimination
  3. an act of sitting in the seats or on the floor of an establishment as a means of organized protest

sit in -vi

  1. to take part in or be present at a session of music or discussion as a visitor often used with on
    • invited to sit in on a rehearsal
  2. to participate in a sit-in

Sit·ka spruce ['sit-kə-] -n

  1. a tall spruce ( Picea sitchensis) of the northern Pacific coast of No. America that has thin reddish-brown bark, flat needles, and cones with slightly toothed scales

si·tos·ter·ol [sī-'täs-tə-,rȯl, sə-, -,rōl] -n

  1. any of several sterols that are widespread esp. in plant products (as wheat germ or soybean oil) and are used as starting materials for the synthesis of steroid hormones

sit out -vt

  1. to refrain from participating in
    • sat out every dance

sit·ter ['si-tər] -n

  1. : one that sits: as
  2. a person who sits for a portrait or a bust
  3. a person who babysits

sitting -n

  1. the act of one that sits
  2. a single occasion of continuous sitting (as for a portrait or meal)
  3. a brooding over eggs for hatching
  4. setting
  5. session
    • a sitting of the legislature
  6. that is setting
    • a sitting hen
  7. occupying a judicial, legislative, or executive seat : being in office
  8. easily hit or played
    • a sitting target
  9. used in or for sitting
    • a sitting position
  10. performed while sitting
    • a sitting shot

sitting duck -n

  1. an easy or defenseless target

sitting room -n

  1. living room

sit·u·ate ['si-chə-wət, -,wāt; 'sich-wət] -adj

  1. having a site : located
  2. to place in a site, situation, context, or category : locate

situated -adj

  1. having a site, situation, or location : located
  2. provided with money or possessions
    • comfortably situated

sit·u·a·tion [,si-chə-'wā-shən] -n

  1. the way in which something is placed in relation to its surroundings
  2. site
  3. locality
  4. state of health
  5. position or place of employment : post, job
  6. position in life : status
  7. position with respect to conditions and circumstances
  8. relative position or combination of circumstances at a certain moment
  9. a critical, trying, or unusual state of affairs : problem
  10. a particular or striking complex of affairs at a stage in the action of a narrative or drama

sit·u·a·tion·al [-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or appropriate to a situation
  2. of or relating to situation ethics

situation comedy -n

  1. a radio or television comedy series that involves a continuing cast of characters in a succession of episodes

situation ethics -n

  1. a system of ethics by which acts are judged within their contexts instead of by categorical principles called also situational ethics

situp ['sit-,əp] -n

  1. a conditioning exercise performed from a supine position by raising the torso to a sitting position and returning to the original position without using the arms or lifting the feet

sit up -vi

  1. to rise from a lying to a sitting position
  2. to sit with the back erect
  3. to show interest, alertness, or surprise
    • sit up and take notice
  4. to stay up after the usual time for going to bed

si·tus ['sī-təs] -n

  1. the place where something exists or originates
  2. the place where something (as a right) is held to be located in law

sitz bath ['sits-] -n

  1. a tub in which one bathes in a sitting posture
  2. a bath so taken esp. therapeutically

sitz·mark ['sits-,märk, 'zits-] -n

  1. a depression left in the snow by a skier falling backward

SIV [,es-,ī-'vē] -n

  1. a lentivirus (species Simian immunodeficiency virus) that causes a disease in monkeys similar to AIDS and that is closely related to HIV-2

Si·van ['si-vən] -n

  1. the ninth month of the civil year or the third month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar

Si·wash ['sī-,wȯsh, -,wäsh] -n

  1. a small usu. inland college that is notably provincial in outlook
    • cheer for dear old Siwash

six ['siks] -n, adj, pron, pl in constr

  1. the sixth in a set or series
  2. : something having six units or members: as
  3. an ice-hockey team
  4. a 6-cylinder engine or automobile

six·fold ['siks-,fōld, -'fōld] -adj, adv

  1. having six units or members
  2. being six times as great or as many

sixgun ['siks-,gən] -n

  1. a 6-chambered revolver

six·mo ['siks-(,)mō] -n

  1. the size of a piece of paper cut six from a sheet
  2. a book, a page, or paper of this size

sixosix [,siks-,ō-'siks] -n

  1. arsphenamine

sixpack ['siks-,pak] -n

  1. six bottles or cans (as of beer) packaged and purchased as a unit
  2. the contents of a six-pack

six·pence ['siks-pən(t)s, US also -,pen(t)s] -n

  1. a former British monetary unit equal to six pennies
  2. a coin worth sixpence

six·pen·ny ['siks-pə-nē, US also -,pe-nē] -adj

  1. costing or worth sixpence

sixpenny bit -n

  1. sixpence

six·pen·ny nail ['siks-,pe-nē-] -n

  1. a nail about two inches long

sixshoot·er ['sik(s)-,shü-tər] -n

  1. six-gun

six·teen·mo [sik-'stēn-(,)mō] -n

  1. the size of a piece of paper cut 16 from a sheet
  2. a book, a page, or paper of this size

sixteenth note -n

  1. a musical note with the time value of of a whole note

sixteenth rest -n

  1. a musical rest corresponding in time value to a sixteenth note

sixth ['siks(t)th, 'siks(t)] -n, adj or adv, adv

  1. a musical interval embracing six diatonic degrees
  2. a tone at this interval
  3. submediant
  4. the harmonic combination of two tones a sixth apart

sixth chord -n

  1. a musical chord consisting of a tone with its third and its sixth above and usu. being the first inversion of a triad

sixth sense -n

  1. a power of perception like but not one of the five senses : a keen intuitive power

six·ty ['siks-tē] -n, adj or n, adj, pron, pl in constr

  1. the numbers 60 to 69
  2. the years 60 to 69 in a lifetime or century

sixtyfourth note [,siks-tē-'fȯrth-] -n

  1. a musical note with the time value of of a whole note

sixtyfourth rest -n

  1. a musical rest corresponding in time value to a sixty-fourth note

six·tynine [,siks-tē-'nīn] -n

  1. mutual cunnilingus and fellatio : mutual fellatio : mutual cunnilingus

siz·able ['sī-zə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. fairly large : considerable
    • a sizable donation

siz·ar ['sī-zər] -n

  1. a student (as in the university of Cambridge) who receives an allowance toward college expenses and who orig. acted as a servant to other students in return for this allowance

size ['sīz] -n

  1. assize usu. used in pl.
  2. a fixed portion of food or drink
  3. physical magnitude, extent, or bulk : relative or proportionate dimensions
  4. relative aggregate amount or number
  5. considerable proportions : bigness
  6. one of a series of graduated measures esp. of manufactured articles (as of clothing) conventionally identified by numbers or letters
    • a size seven hat
  7. character, quality, or status of a person or thing esp. with reference to importance, relative merit, or correspondence to needs
    • try this idea on for size
  8. actual state of affairs
    • that's about the size of it
  9. to make a particular size : bring to proper or suitable size
  10. to arrange, grade, or classify according to size or bulk
  11. to equal in size or other particular characteristic : compare usu. used with up and often with to or with
  12. sized usu. used in combination
  13. any of various glutinous materials (as preparations of glue, flour, varnish, or resins) used for filling the pores in surfaces (as of paper, textiles, leather, or plaster) or for applying color or metal leaf (as to book edges or covers)
  14. to cover, stiffen, or glaze with or as if with size

sized ['sīzd, ,sīzd] -adj

  1. having a specified size or bulk usu. used in combination
    • a small- sized house
  2. arranged or adjusted according to size

size up -vt

  1. to form a judgment of
    • size up the situation

sizing -n

  1. size

siz·zle ['si-zəl] -vb

  1. to burn up or sear with or as if with a hissing sound
  2. to make a hissing sound in or as if in burning or frying
  3. to seethe with deep anger or resentment

sizzle -n

  1. a hissing sound (as of something frying over a fire)
  2. pizzazz, excitement

siz·zler ['si-zə-lər, 'siz-lər] -n

  1. one that sizzles
  2. scorcher