Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Sē'rum, n. p. 1206(Physiol.) (a.) The liquid portion of the blood, after the separation of the coagulum or clot, of which albumen is the principal organic ingredient. (b.) A fluid of similar nature exuded from the…Sĕrv'a-ble, a. p. 1206Capable of being served. 2. Capable of being preserved.Sérv'age, n. p. 1206Serfage; slavery; servitude. [Obs.]Sér'val, n. p. 1206(Zool.). A digitigrade, carnivorous mammal, of the cat tribe, the Felis serval of Southern Africa. It is a middle-sized species, with a long tail and black spots.Sér'vant, n. p. 1206One who serves, or does service, voluntarily or involuntarily; a person who is employed by another for mental offices, or for other labor; and is subject to his command; a person who labors or exerts…Sér'vant, v. t. p. 1206To subject. [Obs.] Shak.Sér'vant-ess, n. p. 1206A female servant; a maid-servant.Sér'vant-girl, n. p. 1206A female servant; a maid-Sĕr'vant-māid p. 1206servant.Sēr'vant-mān, n. p. 1206A male servant; a man-servant.Sér'vant-ry, n. p. 1206A body of servants; servants collectively. [Rare.]Sērve, v. t. p. 1206To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or steadily for the benefit of; to do service for; to act as servant to; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic…Sērve, v. i. p. 1206To be a servant or slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection. The Lord shall give thee rest . . . from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve. Isa.…Sĕrv'er, n. p. 1206One who serves. 2. A waiter for carrying things on; a salver.Sërv'ice, n. p. 1206The act of serving; the occupation of a servant; the performance of labor for the benefit of another, or at another's command; attendance of an inferior, or hired helper, or slave, &c., on a…Ser'vice-a-ble, a. p. 1207Doing service; promoting happiness, interest, advantage, or any good; useful to any end; adapted to any good end or use; beneficial; advantageous. “Serviceable to religion and learning.” Atterbury.…Ser'-vice-a-ble-ness, n. p. 1207The state or quality of being serviceable; usefulness in promoting good of any kind; beneficialness. All action being for some end, its fitness to be commended or forbidden must be founded upon its…Ser'vice-a-bly, adv. p. 1207In a serviceable manner.Ser'vi-age, n. p. 1207Service; servitude. [Obs.] “Thralldom base and serviage.” Fairfax.Ser'vice-ber'ry, n. p. 1207The berry of the service-tree.Ser'vice-book, n. p. 1207A prayer-book or missal.Ser'vice-pipe, n. p. 1207A pipe connecting mains with a dwelling, as in gas pipes, and the like. Tomlinson.Ser'vice-tree, n. p. 1207(Bot.) One of several species of trees allied to the apple, and found in a wild state, as the American shad-bush, and the European mountain-ash or roan-tree. They all have richly colored fruit, which…Sĕr'vi-ent, a. p. 1207Subordinate. [Obs.] Dyer. Servient tenement or estate (Law), that on which the burden of a servitude or an easement is imposed. See DOMINANT. Gale & Whateley.Serviette, n. p. 1207A napkin for the table.Ser'vile, a. p. 1207Pertaining to, or befitting, a servant or slave; slavish; mean; proceeding from dependence; as, servile fear; servile obedience. 2. Held in subjection; dependent. E'en fortune rules no more a servile…Ser'vile, n. p. 1207(Gram.) An element which forms no part of the original root;—opposed to radical.Ser'vile-ly, adv. p. 1207In a servile manner; slavishly.Ser'vile-ness, n. p. 1207[Fr. servilité, Sp. servilidad, It. servilità, D.Ser-vil'i-ty p. 1207The state or quality of being servile; the condition of a slave or bondman; slavery; baseness; obsequiousness; slavish deference. To be a queen in bondage is more vile Than is a slave in base…Sĕr'ving-board, n. p. 1207A flat piece of timber used in serving ropes.Ser'ving-maid, n. p. 1207A female servant; a menial.Sĕrv'ing-măl'let, n. p. 1207A wooden mallet used in serving ropes.Sĕr'ving-măn, n. p. 1207A male servant; a menial.Ser'vi-tor, n. p. 1207One who serves; a servant; an attendant; one who acts under another; a follower or adherent. “Your trusty and valiant servitor.” Shak. 2. (University of Oxf.) An undergraduate, who is partly…Ser'vi-tor-ship, n. p. 1207The office or condition of a servitor. Boswell.Sĕr'vi-tude, n. p. 1207The state of voluntary or involuntary subjection to a master; service; the condition of a slave; slavery; bondage; hence, a state of slavish dependence. You would have sold your king to slaughter…Ser'vi-tūre, n. p. 1207Servants collectively; servants. [Obs.] Milton.Sĕs'a-me, n. p. 1207(Bot.) An annual herbaceous plant of the genus Sesamum, from the seeds of which an oil is expressed.Sēa'-me-grāss, n. p. 1207(Bot.) A tall grass [Triglochin dactyloides], growing sometimes six feet high. It is found in the middle and northern parts of the United States:—called also genus-grass.Ses'a-moid or Ses'a-moid'al, a. p. 1207(Anat.) Resembling in form the seeds of sesame:—said of the small bones found in the substance of the tendons at the articulations of the great toes, and sometimes at the joints of the thumbs, and in…Sĕs'a-mum, n. p. 1207(Bot.) A genus of herbaceous plants, the seeds of which are sometimes used for food, and also furnish a valuable oily grain.Sē'seam, n. p. 1207(Bot.) A leguminous plant; a species of Sesbania or Erythrina. Lindl.Sereb-lī, n. p. 1207(Bot.) A genus of plants; meadow seedlings; butterwort.Ses'qui- p. 1207(Chem.) A prefix denoting the proportion of three equivalents of the substance to the name of which it is prefixed to two equivalents of the other element, or proximate principle; as, sesquioxide.…Ses'qui-al'ter, a. p. 1207Sesquialteral.Sĕs'qui-ăl'ter or Sĕs'qui-ăl'ter-ȧ, n. p. 1207(Mus.) A stop, on the organ, containing three ranks of pipes. P. Cyc.Sĕs'qui-ăl'ter-al or Sĕs'qui-ăl'ter-ate, a. p. 1207One and a half of another. Sesquialteral floret (Bot.), a large, fertile floret, accompanied with a small, abortive one.—Sesquialteral ratio (Math.), the ratio of one and a half to one; thus 9 and 6…Sĕs'qui-ăl'ter-oŭs, a. p. 1207Sesquialteral.Sĕs'qui-brō'mide, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A compound of bromine with another element, in the proportions of three equivalents of bromine to two of the other element.Se'squi-car'bonate, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A salt composed of three equivalents of carbonic acid with two equivalents of any base.Ses'qui-chlo'ride, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A compound of chlorine with another element, in the proportions of three equivalents of chlorine to two of the other element.Sesqui-cyanide, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A compound of cyanogen with some element, in the proportions of three equivalents of cyanogen to two of the other element.Ses'qui-dū'pli-cate, a. p. 1207Twice and a half. Sesqui-duplicate ratio (Math.), the ratio of two and a half to one, or where the greater term contains the lesser twice and a half, as that of 30 to 20.Ses-qui'ō-dīde, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A compound of iodine with another element, in the proportions of three equivalents of iodine to two of the other element.Sēs'qui-ox'ide, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A compound of oxygen with some other element, in the proportions of three equivalents of the oxygen to two of the other element.Ses-quip'e-dal or Ses-quip-e-dā'li-an, a. p. 1207Measuring or containing a foot and a half; as, a sesquipedalian pigmy;—sometimes humorously or derisively applied to long words.Ses'qui-pe-dal'i-ty, n. p. 1207The condition or quality of being sesquipedal. [Rare.] Sterne. 2. The use of sesquipedalian words; style characterized by the use of long words.Ses-quip'li-cate, a. p. 1207A ratio compounded of the sesquialterate; — a term applied to ratios; thus, a and a′ are in the sesquiplicate ratio of b and b′, when a is to a′ as the square root of the cube of b is to the square…Ses'qui-salt, n. p. 1207(Chem.) A salt having three equivalents of one component and two of another.