Somniferous Som·nif"er·ous adjective [ Latin somnifer ; somnus sleep + ferre to bring.] Causing or inducing sleep; soporific; dormitive; as, a somniferous potion. Walton.

Somnific Som·nif"ic adjective [ Latin somnificus ; somnus sleep + facere to make.] Causing sleep; somniferous.

Somnifugous Som·nif"u·gous adjective [ Latin somnus sleep + fugare to put to flight.] Driving away sleep. [ Obsolete]

Somniloquence Som·nil"o·quence noun The act of talking in one's sleep; somniloquism.

Somniloquism Som·nil"o·quism noun The act or habit of talking in one's sleep; somniloquy. Coleridge.

Somniloquist Som·nil"o·quist noun One who talks in his sleep.

Somniloquous Som·nil"o·quous adjective [ Latin somnus sleep + loqui to speak.] Apt to talk in sleep.

Somniloquy Som·nil"o·quy noun A talking in sleep; the talking of one in a state of somnipathy. [ R.] Coleridge.

Somnipathist Som·nip"a·thist noun A person in a state of somniapathy.

Somnipathy Som·nip"a·thy noun [ Latin somnus sleep + Greek ... a suffering of the body, from ..., ..., to suffer.] Sleep from sympathy, or produced by mesmerism or the like. [ Written also somnopathy .]

Somnolence, Somnolency Som"no·lence, Som"no·len·cy noun [ Latin somnolentia : confer French somnolence .] Sleepiness; drowsiness; inclination to sleep.

Somnolent Som"no·lent adjective [ French somnolent , Latin somnolentus , from somnus sleep, akin to Greek ..., Sanskrit svapna sleep, dream, svap to sleep, Icelandic sofa , Anglo-Saxon swefn sleep. Confer Hypnotic , Somnambulism , Soporific .] Sleepy; drowsy; inclined to sleep. -- Som"no*lent*ly , adverb

He had no eye for such phenomena, because he had a somnolent want of interest in them.

De Quincey.

Somnolism Som"no·lism noun The somnolent state induced by animal magnetism. Thomas (Med. Dict.).

Somnopathy Som·nop"a·thy noun Somnipathy.

Somnour Som"nour noun A summoner; an apparitor; a sompnour. [ Obsolete] Piers Plowman.

Somonaunce, Somonce Som"on·aunce, Som"once noun [ See Summon , Summons .] A summons; a citation. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Somonour Som"on·our noun A summoner. [ Obsolete]

Sompne Somp"ne transitive verb To summon; to cite. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Sompnour Somp"nour noun A summoner. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Son Son noun [ Middle English sone , sune , Anglo-Saxon sunu ; akin to Dutch zoon , Old Saxon , OFries., & Old High German sunu , German sohn , Icelandic sonr , Swedish son , Danish sön , Goth. sunus , Lithuanian sunus , Russian suin' , Sanskrit sūnu (from sū to beget, to bear), and Greek ... son. √293. Confer Sow , noun ] 1. A male child; the male issue, or offspring, of a parent, father or mother.

Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son .

Gen. xxi. 2.

2. A male descendant, however distant; hence, in the plural, descendants in general.

I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.

Isa. xix. 11.

I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Mal. iii. 6.

3. Any young male person spoken of as a child; an adopted male child; a pupil, ward, or any other young male dependent.

The child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son .

Ex. ii. 10.

Be plain, good son , and homely in thy drift.

Shak.

4. A native or inhabitant of some specified place; as, sons of Albion; sons of New England.

5. The produce of anything.

Earth's tall sons , the cedar, oak, and pine.

Blackmore.

6. (Commonly with the def. article) Jesus Christ, the Savior; -- called the Son of God, and the Son of man.

We . . . do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

1 John iv. 14.

Who gave His Son sure all has given.

Keble.

» The expressions son of pride , sons of light , son of Belial , are Hebraisms, which denote persons possessing the qualitites of pride, of light, or of Belial, as children inherit the qualities of their ancestors.

Sons of the prophets . See School of the prophets , under Prophet .

Son-in-law Son"-in-law` noun ; plural Sons-in-law The husband of one's daughter; a man in his relationship to his wife's parents.

To take me as for thy son in lawe .

Chaucer.

Sonance So"nance noun 1. A sound; a tune; as, to sound the tucket sonance . [ Obsolete] Shak.

2. The quality or state of being sonant.

Sonant So"nant adjective [ Latin sonans , - antis , present participle of sonare to sound. See Sound a noise.] 1. Of or pertaining to sound; sounding.

2. (Phonetics) Uttered, as an element of speech, with tone or proper vocal sound, as distinguished from mere breath sound; intonated; voiced; vocal; tonic; the opposite of nonvocal , or surd ; -- said of the vowels, semivowels, liquids, and nasals, and particularly of the consonants b , d , g hard, v , etc., as compared with their cognates p , t , k , f , etc., which are called nonvocal , surd , or aspirate . -- noun A sonant letter.

Sonata So·na"ta noun [ Italian , from Italian & Latin sonare to sound. See Sound a noise.] (Mus.) An extended composition for one or two instruments, consisting usually of three or four movements; as, Beethoven's sonatas for the piano, for the violin and piano, etc.

» The same general structure prevails in symphonies, instrumental trios, quartets, etc., and even in classical concertos. The sonata form, distinctively, characterizes the quick opening movement, which may have a short, slow introduction; the second, or slow, movement is either in the song or variation form; third comes the playful minuet or the more modern scherzo; then the quick finale in the rondo form. But both form and order are sometimes exceptional.

Sonatina So`na·ti"na noun [ Italian ] (Mus.) A short and simple sonata.

Soncy, Sonsy Son"cy, Son"sy adjective [ Scot. sonce , sons , prosperity, happiness, from Gael. & Ir. sonas .] Lucky; fortunate; thriving; plump. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Sond, Sonde Sond, Sonde noun [ Anglo-Saxon sand . See Send , transitive verb ] That which is sent; a message or messenger; hence, also, a visitation of providence; an affliction or trial. [ Obsolete]

Ye have enough, parde, of Goddes sond .

Chaucer.

Sondeli Son"de·li noun (Zoology) The musk shrew. See under Musk .

Sonderclass Son"der·class` noun [ German sonderklasse special class.] (Yachting) A special class of small yachts developed in Germany under the patronage of Emperor William and Prince Henry of Prussia, and so called because these yachts do not conform to the restrictions for the regular classes established by the rules of the International Yacht Racing Union. In yachts of the sonderclass, as prescribed for the season of 1911, the aggregate of the length on water line, extreme beam, and extreme draft must be not more than 32 feet; the weight, not less than 4,035 pounds (without crew); the sail area, not more than 550 square yards; and the cost of construction (for American boats) not more than $2400. The crew must be amateurs and citizens of the country in which the yacht was built.

Song Song (sŏng; 115) noun [ Anglo-Saxon song , sang , from singan to sing; akin to Dutch zang , German sang , Icelandic söngr , Goth. saggws . See Sing .] 1. That which is sung or uttered with musical modulations of the voice, whether of a human being or of a bird, insect, etc. "That most ethereal of all sounds, the song of crickets." Hawthorne.

2. A lyrical poem adapted to vocal music; a ballad.

3. More generally, any poetical strain; a poem.

The bard that first adorned our native tongue
Tuned to his British lyre this ancient song .

Dryden.

4. Poetical composition; poetry; verse.

This subject for heroic song .

Milton.

5. An object of derision; a laughingstock.

And now am I their song , yea, I am their byword.

Job xxx. 9.

6. A trifle. "The soldier's pay is a song ." Silliman.

Old song , a trifle; nothing of value. "I do not intend to be thus put off with an old song ." Dr. H. More. -- Song bird (Zoology) , any singing bird; one of the Oscines. -- Song sparrow (Zoology) , a very common North American sparrow ( Melospiza fasciata , or M. melodia ) noted for the sweetness of its song in early spring. Its breast is covered with dusky brown streaks which form a blotch in the center. -- Song thrush (Zoology) , a common European thrush ( Turdus musicus ), noted for its melodius song; -- called also mavis , throstle , and thrasher .

Syn. -- Sonnet; ballad; canticle; carol; canzonet; ditty; hymn; descant; lay; strain; poesy; verse.

Songcraft Song"craft` (sŏng"krȧft`) noun The art of making songs or verses; metrical composition; versification.

A half-effaced inscription,
Written with little skill of songcraft .

Longfellow.

Songful Song"ful (-ful) adjective Disposed to sing; full of song.

Songish Song"ish adjective Consisting of songs. [ R.] Dryden.

Songless Song"less adjective Destitute of the power of song; without song; as, songless birds; songless woods.

Songster Song"ster (-stẽr) noun [ Anglo-Saxon sangestre a female singer.] 1. One who sings; one skilled in singing; -- not often applied to human beings.

2. (Zoology) A singing bird.

Songstress Song"stress noun [ See Songster , and -ess .] A woman who sings; also, a female singing bird. Thomson.

Sonifer Son"i·fer noun [ New Latin See Soniferous .] A kind of ear trumpet for the deaf, or the partially deaf.

Soniferous So·nif"er·ous adjective [ Latin sonus sound + -ferous .] Sounding; producing sound; conveying sound.

Sonification Son`i·fi·ca"tion noun [ Latin sonus sound + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See - fy .] The act of producing sound, as the stridulation of insects.

Sonless Son"less adjective Being without a son. Marston.

As no baron who was sonless could give a husband to his daughter, save with his lord's consent.

J. R. Green.

Sonnet Son"net noun [ French, from Italian sonetto , from suono a sound, a song, from Latin sonus a sound. See Sound noise.] 1. A short poem, -- usually amatory. [ Obsolete] Shak.

He had a wonderful desire to chant a sonnet or hymn unto Apollo Pythius.

Holland.

2. A poem of fourteen lines, -- two stanzas, called the octave , being of four verses each, and two stanzas, called the sestet , of three verses each, the rhymes being adjusted by a particular rule.

» In the proper sonnet each line has five accents, and the octave has but two rhymes, the second, third, sixth, and seventh lines being of one rhyme, and the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth being of another. In the sestet there are sometimes two and sometimes three rhymes; but in some way its two stazas rhyme together. Often the three lines of the first stanza rhyme severally with the three lines of the second. In Shakespeare's sonnets, the first twelve lines are rhymed alternately, and the last two rhyme together.

Sonnet Son"net intransitive verb To compose sonnets. "Strains that come almost to sonneting ." Milton.

Sonneteer Son`net·eer" noun A composer of sonnets, or small poems; a small poet; -- usually in contempt.

What woful stuff this madrigal would be
In some starved hackney sonneteer or me!

Pope.

Sonneteer Son`net·eer" intransitive verb To compose sonnets. Lowell.

Sonneter Son"net·er noun A composer of sonnets.

Sonnetist Son"net·ist noun A sonneter, or sonneteer. Bp. Hall.

Sonnetize Son"net·ize intransitive verb To compose sonnets.

Sonnish Son"nish adjective Like the sun; sunny; golden. [ Obsolete] "Her sonnish hairs." Chaucer.

Sonnite Son"nite noun See Sunnite .

Sonometer So·nom"e·ter noun [ Latin sonus a sound + -meter .] 1. (Physiol.) An instrument for exhibiting the transverse vibrations of cords, and ascertaining the relations between musical notes. It consists of a cord stretched by weight along a box, and divided into different lengths at pleasure by a bridge, the place of which is determined by a scale on the face of the box.

2. An instrument for testing the hearing capacity.

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