Swollen Swoll"en adjective Enlarged by swelling; immoderately increased; as, swollen eyes; swollen streams.

Swoln Swoln Contraction of Swollen , past participle Milton.

Swom Swom obsolete imperfect of Swim . Shak.

Swoon Swoon intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Swooned ; present participle & verbal noun Swooning .] [ Middle English swounen , swoghenen , for swo...nien , from swo...en to sigh deeply, to droop, Anglo-Saxon swōgan to sough, sigh; confer ge swōgen senseless, swooned, ge swōwung a swooning. Confer Sough .] To sink into a fainting fit, in which there is an apparent suspension of the vital functions and mental powers; to faint; -- often with away .

The sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

Lam. ii. 11.

The most in years . . . swooned first away for pain.

Dryden.

He seemed ready to swoon away in the surprise of joy.

Tatler.

Swoon Swoon noun A fainting fit; syncope.

Swooning Swoon"ing adjective & noun from Swoon , v. -- Swoon"ing*ly , adverb

Swoop Swoop transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Swooped ; present participle & verbal noun Swooping .] [ Middle English swopen , usually, to sweep, As. swāpan to sweep, to rush; akin to German schweifen to rove, to ramble, to curve, Old High German sweifan to whirl, Icelandic sveipa to sweep; also to Anglo-Saxon swīfan to move quickly. Confer Sweep , Swift , adjective & noun , Swipe , Swivel .] 1. To fall on at once and seize; to catch while on the wing; as, a hawk swoops a chicken.

2. To seize; to catch up; to take with a sweep.

And now at last you came to swoop it all.

Dryden.

The grazing ox which swoops it [ the medicinal herb] in with the common grass.

Glanvill.

Swoop Swoop intransitive verb 1. To descend with closed wings from a height upon prey, as a hawk; to stoop.

2. To pass with pomp; to sweep. [ Obsolete] Drayton.

Swoop Swoop noun A falling on and seizing, as the prey of a rapacious bird; the act of swooping.

The eagle fell, . . . and carried away a whole litter of cubs at a swoop .

L'Estrange.

Swoopstake Swoop"stake` noun See Sweepstake . [ Obsolete]

Swoopstake Swoop"stake` adverb Altogether; indiscriminately. [ R.] Shak.

Swop Swop v. & noun Same as Swap . Dryden.

Sword Sword (sōrd) noun [ Middle English swerd , Anglo-Saxon sweord ; akin to OFries. swerd , swird , Dutch zwaard , Old Saxon swerd , Old High German swert , German schwert , Icelandic sverð , Swedish svärd , Danish sværd ; of uncertain origin.] 1. An offensive weapon, having a long and usually sharp-pointed blade with a cutting edge or edges. It is the general term, including the small sword, rapier, saber, scimiter, and many other varieties.

2. Hence, the emblem of judicial vengeance or punishment, or of authority and power.

He [ the ruler] beareth not the sword in vain.

Rom. xiii. 4.

She quits the balance, and resigns the sword .

Dryden.

3. Destruction by the sword, or in battle; war; dissension.

I came not to send peace, but a sword .

Matt. x. 34.

4. The military power of a country.

He hath no more authority over the sword than over the law.

Milton.

5. (Weaving) One of the end bars by which the lay of a hand loom is suspended.

Sword arm , the right arm. -- Sword bayonet , a bayonet shaped somewhat like a sword, and which can be used as a sword. -- Sword bearer , one who carries his master's sword; an officer in London who carries a sword before the lord mayor when he goes abroad. -- Sword belt , a belt by which a sword is suspended, and borne at the side. -- Sword blade , the blade, or cutting part, of a sword. -- Sword cane , a cane which conceals the blade of a sword or dagger, as in a sheath. -- Sword dance . (a) A dance in which swords are brandished and clashed together by the male dancers. Sir W. Scott. (b) A dance performed over swords laid on the ground, but without touching them. -- Sword fight , fencing; a combat or trial of skill with swords; swordplay. -- Sword grass . (Botany) See Gladen . -- Sword knot , a ribbon tied to the hilt of a sword. -- Sword law , government by the sword, or by force; violence. Milton. -- Sword lily . (Botany) See Gladiolus . -- Sword mat (Nautical) , a mat closely woven of yarns; -- so called from a wooden implement used in its manufacture. -- Sword shrimp (Zoology) , a European shrimp ( Pasiphæa sivado ) having a very thin, compressed body. -- Sword stick , a sword cane. -- To measure swords with one . See under Measure , transitive verb -- To put to the sword . See under Put .

Sword-shaped Sword"-shaped` adjective (Botany) Shaped like a sword; ensiform, as the long, flat leaves of the Iris, cattail, and the like.

Swordbill Sword"bill` noun (Zoology) A humming bird ( Docimastes ensiferus ) having a very long, slender bill, exceeding the length of the body of the bird.

Sworded Sword"ed adjective [ Confer Anglo-Saxon ge swurdod .] Girded with a sword. Milton.

Sworder Sword"er noun One who uses, or fights with, a sword; a swordsman; a soldier; a cutthroat. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Swordfish Sword"fish` noun 1. (Zoology) (a) A very large oceanic fish ( Xiphias gladius ), the only representative of the family Xiphiidæ . It is highly valued as a food fish. The bones of the upper jaw are consolidated, and form a long, rigid, swordlike beak; the dorsal fin is high and without distinct spines; the ventral fins are absent. The adult is destitute of teeth. It becomes sixteen feet or more long. (b) The gar pike. (c) The cutlass fish.

2. (Astron.) A southern constellation. See Dorado , 1.

Swordfish sucker (Zoology) , a remora ( Remora brachyptera ) which attaches itself to the swordfish.

Swordick Sword"ick noun (Zoology) The spotted gunnel ( Murænoides gunnellus ). [ Prov. Eng.]

Swording Sword"ing noun Slashing with a sword. Tennyson.

Swordless Sword"less adjective Destitute of a sword.

Swordman Sword"man noun ; plural Swordmen A swordsman. "Sinewy swordmen ." Shak.

Swordplay Sword"play` noun Fencing; a sword fight.

Swordplayer Sword"play`er noun A fencer; a gladiator; one who exhibits his skill in the use of the sword.

Swordsman Swords"man noun ; plural Swordsmen 1. A soldier; a fighting man.

2. One skilled of a use of the sword; a professor of the science of fencing; a fencer.

Swordsmanship Swords"man·ship noun The state of being a swordsman; skill in the use of the sword. Cowper.

Swordtail Sword"tail` noun (Zoology) (a) The limulus. (b) Any hemipterous insect of the genus Uroxiphus , found upon forest trees.

Swore Swore imperfect of Swear .

Sworn Sworn past participle of Swear .

Sworn brothers , originally, companions in arms who took an oath to share together good and bad fortune; hence, faithful friends. -- Sworn enemies , determined or irreconcilable enemies. -- Sworn friends , close friends.

Swough Swough noun [ See Swoon .] 1. A sound; a groan; a moan; a sough. [ Obsolete]

He sigheth with full many a sorry swough .

Chaucer.

2. A swoon. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Swound Swound v. & noun See Swoon , v. & noun [ Prov. Eng. or Archaic] Shak. Dryden.

The landlord stirred
As one awaking from a swound .

Longfellow.

Swounds Swounds interj. [ Confer Zounds .] An exclamation contracted from God's wounds ; -- used as an oath. [ Obsolete or Archaic] Shak.

Swown Swown v. & noun Swoon. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Swum Swum imperfect & past participle of Swim .

Swung Swung imperfect & past participle of Swing .

Swythe Swythe adverb Quickly. See Swithe . [ Obsolete]

Sy Sy obsolete imperfect of See . Saw. Chaucer.

Syb Syb adjective See Sib . [ Obsolete or Scot.]

Sybarite Syb"a·rite noun [ Latin Sybarita , Greek ..., from ..., a city in Italy, noted for the effeminacy and voluptuousness of its inhabitants; confer French Sybarite .] A person devoted to luxury and pleasure; a voluptuary.

Sybaritic, Sybaritical Syb`a·rit"ic, Syb`a·rit"ic·al adjective [ Latin Sybariticus , Greek ....] Of or pertaining to the Sybarites; resembling the Sybarites; luxurious; wanton; effeminate. " Sybaritic dinners." Bp. Warburton. " Sybaritical cloistres." Bp. Hall.

Sybaritism Syb"a·rit·ism noun Luxuriousness; effeminacy; wantonness; voluptuousness.

Sycamine Syc"a·mine noun [ Latin sycaminus , Greek ...; perhaps of Semitic origin.] See Sycamore .

Sycamore Syc"a·more noun [ Latin sycomorus , Greek ... the fig mulberry; ... a fig + ... the black mulberry; or perhaps of Semitic origin: confer French sycomore . Confer Mulberry .] (Botany) (a) A large tree ( Ficus Sycomorus ) allied to the common fig. It is found in Egypt and Syria, and is the sycamore, or sycamine, of Scripture. (b) The American plane tree, or buttonwood. (c) A large European species of maple ( Acer Pseudo-Platanus ). [ Written sometimes sycomore .]

Syce Syce noun [ Arabic sāïs .] A groom. [ India]

Sycee Sy·cee" noun [ Said to be from a Chinese word, se-tze or se-sze , meaning, fine silk, and to be so called because if pure it may be drawn out into fine threads.] Silver, pounded into ingots of the shape of a shoe, and used as currency. The most common weight is about one pound troy. [ China] McElrath.

Sychnocarpous Sych`no·car"pous adjective [ Greek ... much or frequent + ... fruit.] (Botany) Having the capacity of bearing several successive crops of fruit without perishing; as, sychnocarpous plants.

Sycite Sy"cite noun [ Greek ... figlike, from ... a fig.] (Min.) A nodule of flint, or a pebble, which resembles a fig. [ Obsolete]

Sycoceric Syc`o·cer"ic adjective (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the oxidation of sycoceryl alcohol.

Sycoceryl Syc`o·ce"ryl noun [ Greek ... a fig + ... wax + -yl .] (Chemistry) A radical, of the aromatic series, regarded as an essential ingredient of certain compounds found in the waxy resin of an Australian species of fig.

Sycock Sy"cock noun (Zoology) The missel thrush. [ Prov. Eng.]

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter S > Page 258 of 266.
« Previous ¦250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 ¦ Next »