Scrutator Scru·ta"tor noun [ Latin ] One who scrutinizes; a close examiner or inquirer. Ayliffe.

Scrutin de liste Scru`tin" de liste" (skru`tăN" dẽ lēst). [ French, voting by list.] Voting for a group of candidates for the same kind of office on one ticket or ballot, containing a list of them; -- the method, used in France, as from June, 1885, to Feb., 1889, in elections for the Chamber of Deputies, each elector voting for the candidates for the whole department in which he lived, as disting. from scrutin d'arrondissement (dȧ`rôN`dēs`mäN"), or voting by each elector for the candidate or candidates for his own arrondissement only.

Scrutineer Scru`ti·neer noun A scrutinizer; specifically, an examiner of votes, as at an election.

Scrutinize Scru"ti·nize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Scrutinized ; present participle & verbal noun Scrutinizing .] [ From Scrutiny .] To examine closely; to inspect or observe with critical attention; to regard narrowly; as, to scrutinize the measures of administration; to scrutinize the conduct or motives of individuals.

Whose votes they were obliged to scrutinize .

Ayliffe.

Those pronounced him youngest who scrutinized his face the closest.

G. W. Cable.

Scrutinize Scru"ti·nize intransitive verb To make scrutiny.

Scrutinizer Scru"ti·ni`zer noun One who scrutinizes.

Scrutinous Scru"ti·nous adjective Closely examining, or inquiring; careful; strict. -- Scru"ti*nous*ly , adverb

Scrutiny Scru"ti·ny noun [ Latin scrutinium , from scrutari to search carefully, originally, to search even to the rags, from scruta trash, trumpery; perhaps akin to English shred : confer Anglo-Saxon scrudnian to make scrutiny.] 1. Close examination; minute inspection; critical observation.

They that have designed exactness and deep scrutiny have taken some one part of nature.

Sir M. Hale.

Thenceforth I thought thee worth my nearer view
And narrower scrutiny .

Milton.

2. (Anc. Church) An examination of catechumens, in the last week of Lent, who were to receive baptism on Easter Day.

3. (Canon Law) A ticket, or little paper billet, on which a vote is written.

4. (Parliamentary Practice) An examination by a committee of the votes given at an election, for the purpose of correcting the poll. Brande & C.

Scrutiny Scru"ti·ny transitive verb To scrutinize. [ Obsolete]

Scrutoire Scru·toire" noun [ Old French escritoire . See Escritoire .] A escritoire; a writing desk.

Scruze Scruze transitive verb [ Confer Excruciate .] To squeeze, compress, crush, or bruise. [ Obsolete or Low] Spenser.

Scry Scry transitive verb To descry. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Scry Scry noun [ From Scry , v. ] A flock of wild fowl.

Scry Scry noun [ Middle English ascrie , from ascrien to cry out, from Old French escrier , French s'écrier . See Ex -, and Cry .] A cry or shout. [ Obsolete] Ld. Berners.

Scud Scud intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Scudded ; present participle & verbal noun Scudding .] [ Danish skyde to shoot, shove, push, akin to skud shot, gunshot, a shoot, young bough, and to English shoot . √159. See Shoot .] 1. To move swiftly; especially, to move as if driven forward by something.

The first nautilus that scudded upon the glassy surface of warm primeval oceans.

I. Taylor.

The wind was high; the vast white clouds scudded over the blue heaven.

Beaconsfield.

2. (Nautical) To be driven swiftly, or to run, before a gale, with little or no sail spread.

Scud Scud transitive verb To pass over quickly. [ R.] Shenstone.

Scud Scud noun 1. The act of scudding; a driving along; a rushing with precipitation.

2. Loose, vapory clouds driven swiftly by the wind.

Borne on the scud of the sea.

Longfellow.

The scud was flying fast above us, throwing a veil over the moon.

Sir S. Baker.

3. A slight, sudden shower. [ Prov. Eng.] Wright.

4. (Zoology) A small flight of larks, or other birds, less than a flock. [ Prov. Eng.]

5. (Zoology) Any swimming amphipod crustacean.

Storm scud . See the Note under Cloud .

Scuddle Scud"dle intransitive verb [ Freq. of scud : confer Scuttle to hurry.] To run hastily; to hurry; to scuttle.

Scudo Scu"do noun ; plural Scudi . [ Italian , a crown, a dollar, a shield, from Latin scutum a shield . Confer Scute .] (Com.) (a) A silver coin, and money of account, used in Italy and Sicily, varying in value, in different parts, but worth about 4 shillings sterling, or about 96 cents; also, a gold coin worth about the same. (b) A gold coin of Rome, worth 64 shillings 11 pence sterling, or about $ 15.70.

Scuff Scuff noun [ Confer Dutch schoft shoulder, Goth. skuft hair of the head. Confer Scruff .] The back part of the neck; the scruff. [ Prov. Eng.] Ld. Lytton.

Scuff Scuff intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Scuffed ; present participle & verbal noun Scuffing .] [ See Scuffle .] To walk without lifting the feet; to proceed with a scraping or dragging movement; to shuffle.

Scuffle Scuf"fle intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Scuffled ; present participle & verbal noun Scuffling .] [ Freq. of scuff , v.i.; confer Swedish skuffa to push, shove, skuff a push, Danish skuffe a drawer, a shovel, and English shuffle , shove . See Shove , and confer Shuffle .] 1. To strive or struggle with a close grapple; to wrestle in a rough fashion.

2. Hence, to strive or contend tumultuously; to struggle confusedly or at haphazard.

A gallant man had rather fight to great disadvantage in the field, in an orderly way, than scuffle with an undisciplined rabble.

Eikon Basilike.

Scuffle Scuf"fle noun 1. A rough, haphazard struggle, or trial of strength; a disorderly wrestling at close quarters.

2. Hence, a confused contest; a tumultuous struggle for superiority; a fight.

The dog leaps upon the serpent, and tears it to pieces; but in the scuffle the cradle happened to be overturned.

L'Estrange.

3. A child's pinafore or bib. [ Prov. Eng.]

4. A garden hoe. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Scuffler Scuf"fler noun 1. One who scuffles.

2. An agricultural implement resembling a scarifier, but usually lighter.

Scug Scug (skŭg) intransitive verb [ Confer Danish skygge to darken, a shade, SW. skugga to shade, a shade, Icelandic skyggja to shade, skuggi a shade.] To hide. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Scug Scug noun A place of shelter; the declivity of a hill. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Sculk Sculk (skŭlk), Sculk"er (-ẽr) . See Skulk , Skulker .

Scull Scull (skŭl) noun (Anat.) The skull. [ Obsolete]

Scull Scull noun [ See 1st School .] A shoal of fish. Milton.

Scull Scull noun [ Of uncertain origin; confer Icelandic skola to wash.] 1. (Nautical) (a) A boat; a cockboat. See Sculler . (b) One of a pair of short oars worked by one person. (c) A single oar used at the stern in propelling a boat.

2. (Zoology) The common skua gull. [ Prov. Eng.]

Scull Scull transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Sculled ; present participle & verbal noun Sculling .] (Nautical) To impel (a boat) with a pair of sculls, or with a single scull or oar worked over the stern obliquely from side to side.

Scull Scull intransitive verb To impel a boat with a scull or sculls.

Sculler Scull"er noun 1. A boat rowed by one man with two sculls, or short oars. [ R.] Dryden.

2. One who sculls.

Scullery Scul"ler·y (skŭl"lẽr*ȳ) noun ; plural Sculleries (- ĭz). [ Probably originally, a place for washing dishes, and for swillery , from Middle English swilen to wash, Anglo-Saxon swilian (see Swill to wash, to drink), but influenced either by Icelandic skola , skyla , Danish skylle , or by Old French escuelier a place for keeping dishes, from escuele a dish, French écuelle , from Latin scutella a salver, waiter (cf. Scuttle a basket); or perhaps the English word is immediately from the Old French escuelier ; confer Middle English squyllare a dishwasher.] 1. A place where dishes, kettles, and culinary utensils, are cleaned and kept; also, a room attached to the kitchen, where the coarse work is done; a back kitchen.

2. Hence, refuse; fifth; offal. [ Obsolete] Gauden.

Scullion Scul"lion (skŭl"yŭn) noun (Botany) A scallion.

Scullion Scul"lion noun [ Old French escouillon (Cot.) a dishclout, apparently for escouvillon , French écouvillon a swab; confer also Old French souillon a servant employed for base offices. Confer Scovel .] A servant who cleans pots and kettles, and does other menial services in the kitchen.

The meanest scullion that followed his camp.

South.

Scullionly Scul"lion·ly adjective Like a scullion; base. [ Obsolete] Milton.

Sculp Sculp transitive verb [ See Sculptor .] To sculpture; to carve; to engrave. [ Obsolete or Humorous.] Sandys.

Sculpin Scul"pin noun [ Written also skulpin .] (Zoology) (a) Any one of numerous species of marine cottoid fishes of the genus Cottus , or Acanthocottus , having a large head armed with several sharp spines, and a broad mouth. They are generally mottled with yellow, brown, and black. Several species are found on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and America. (b) A large cottoid market fish of California ( Scorpænichthys marmoratus ); -- called also bighead , cabezon , scorpion , salpa . (c) The dragonet, or yellow sculpin, of Europe ( Callionymus lyra ).

» The name is also applied to other related California species.

Deep-water sculpin , the sea raven.

Sculptile Sculp"tile adjective [ Latin sculptilis . See Sculptor .] Formed by carving; graven; as, sculptile images. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Sculptor Sculp"tor noun [ Latin sculptor , from sculpere , sculptum , to carve; confer scalpere to cut, carve, scratch, and Greek ... to carve: confer French sculpteur .] 1. One who sculptures; one whose occupation is to carve statues, or works of sculpture.

2. Hence, an artist who designs works of sculpture, his first studies and his finished model being usually in a plastic material, from which model the marble is cut, or the bronze is cast.

Sculptress Sculp"tress noun A female sculptor.

Sculptural Sculp"tur·al adjective Of or pertaining to sculpture. G. Eliot.

Sculpture Sculp"ture noun [ Latin sculptura : confer French sculpture .] 1. The art of carving, cutting, or hewing wood, stone, metal, etc., into statues, ornaments, etc., or into figures, as of men, or other things; hence, the art of producing figures and groups, whether in plastic or hard materials.

2. Carved work modeled of, or cut upon, wood, stone, metal, etc.

There, too, in living sculpture , might be seen
The mad affection of the Cretan queen.

Dryden.

Sculpture Sculp"ture transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Sculptured ; present participle & verbal noun Sculpturing .] To form with the chisel on, in, or from, wood, stone, or metal; to carve; to engrave.

Sculptured tortoise (Zoology) , a common North American wood tortoise ( Glyptemys insculpta ). The shell is marked with strong grooving and ridges which resemble sculptured figures.

Sculpturesque Sculp`tur·esque" adjective After the manner of sculpture; resembling, or relating to, sculpture.

Scum Scum (skŭm) noun [ Of Scand. origin; confer Dan. & Swedish skum , Icelandic skūm , LG. schum , Dutch schuim , Old High German scūm , German schaum ; probably from a root meaning, to cover. √158. Confer Hide skin, Meerschaum , Skim , v. , Sky .]

1. The extraneous matter or impurities which rise to the surface of liquids in boiling or fermentation, or which form on the surface by other means; also, the scoria of metals in a molten state; dross.

Some to remove the scum as it did rise.

Spenser.

2. refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless.

The great and innocent are insulted by the scum and refuse of the people.

Addison.

Scum Scum transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Scummed ; present participle & verbal noun Scumming .] 1. To take the scum from; to clear off the impure matter from the surface of; to skim.

You that scum the molten lead.

Dryden & Lee.

2. To sweep or range over the surface of. [ Obsolete]

Wandering up and down without certain seat, they lived by scumming those seas and shores as pirates.

Milton.

Scum Scum intransitive verb To form a scum; to become covered with scum. Also used figuratively.

Life, and the interest of life, have stagnated and scummed over.

A. K. H. Boyd.

Scumber Scum"ber intransitive verb [ Confer Discumber .] To void excrement. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.] Massinger.

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 41 of 266.
« Previous ¦33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 ¦ Next »