The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section S

by the C. & G. Merriam Co. Springfield, Mass. Under the direction of Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D.

S.

S (s), the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a consonant, and is often called a sibilant, in allusion to its hissing sound. It has two principal sounds; one a mere hissing, as in sack, this; the other a vocal hissing (the same as that of z), as in is, wise. Besides these it sometimes has the sounds of sh and zh, as in sure, measure. It generally has its hissing sound at the beginning of words, but in the middle and at the end of words its sound is determined by usage. In a few words it is silent, as in isle, débris. With the letter h it forms the digraph sh. See Guide to pronunciation, §§ 255-261.

Both the form and the name of the letter S are derived from the Latin, which got the letter through the Greek from the Phœnician. The ultimate origin is Egyptian. S is etymologically most nearly related to c, z, t, and r; as, in ice, OE. is; E. hence, OE. hennes; E. rase, raze; erase, razor; that, G. das; E. reason, F. raison, L. ratio; E. was, were; chair, chaise (see C, Z, T, and R.).

-s. 1. [OE. es, AS. as.] The suffix used to form the plural of most words; as in roads, elfs, sides, accounts.

2. [OE. -s, for older -th, AS. - ð.] The suffix used to form the third person singular indicative of English verbs; as in falls, tells, sends.

3. An adverbial suffix; as in towards, needs, always, -- originally the genitive, possesive, ending. See -'s.

-'s [OE. -es, AS. -es.] The suffix used to form the possessive singular of nouns; as, boy's; man's.

's. A contraction for is or (colloquially) for has. "My heart's subdued." Shak.

Sa"adh (sä"d), n. See Sadh.

Saan (sän), n. pl. (Ethnol.) Same as Bushmen.

Sab`a*dil"la (sb`*dl"l), n. [Sp. cebadilla.] (Bot.) A Mexican liliaceous plant (Schœnocaulon officinale); also, its seeds, which contain the alkaloid veratrine. It was formerly used in medicine as an emetic and purgative.

Sa*bæ"an (?), a. & n. Same as Sabian.

Sa*bæ"an*ism (?), n. Same as Sabianism.

{ Sa"bæ*ism (?), Sa"ba*ism (?) }, n. See Sabianism.

Sa"bal (?), n. (Bot.) A genus of palm trees including the palmetto of the Southern United States.

Sab"a*oth (sb"*th or s"b*th; 277), n. pl. [Heb. tseb'th, pl. of tsb', an army or host, fr. tsb', to go forth to war.] 1. Armies; hosts. [Used twice in the English Bible, in the phrase "The Lord of Sabaoth."]

2. Incorrectly, the Sabbath.

Sab"bat (?), n. [See Sabbath.] In mediæval demonology, the nocturnal assembly in which demons and sorcerers were thought to celebrate their orgies.

Sab`ba*ta"ri*an (?), n. [L. Sabbatarius: cf. F. sabbataire. See Sabbath.] 1. One who regards and keeps the seventh day of the week as holy, agreeably to the letter of the fourth commandment in the Decalogue.

There were Christians in the early church who held this opinion, and certain Christians, esp. the Seventh-day Baptists, hold it now.

2. A strict observer of the Sabbath.

Sab`ba*ta"ri*an, a. Of or pertaining to the Sabbath, or the tenets of Sabbatarians.

Sab`ba*ta"ri*an*ism (?), n. The tenets of Sabbatarians. Bp. Ward (1673).

Sab"bath (?), n. [OE. sabat, sabbat, F. sabbat, L. sabbatum, Gr. sa`bbaton, fr. Heb. shabbth, fr. shbath to rest from labor. Cf. Sabbat.] 1. A season or day of rest; one day in seven appointed for rest or worship, the observance of which was enjoined upon the Jews in the Decalogue, and has been continued by the Christian church with a transference of the day observed from the last to the first day of the week, which is called also Lord's Day.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Ex. xx. 8.

2. The seventh year, observed among the Israelites as one of rest and festival. Lev. xxv. 4.

3. Fig.: A time of rest or repose; intermission of pain, effort, sorrow, or the like.

Peaceful sleep out the sabbath of the tomb.

Pope.

Sabbath breaker, one who violates the law of the Sabbath. -- Sabbath breaking, the violation of the law of the Sabbath. -- Sabbath-day's journey, a distance of about a mile, which, under Rabbinical law, the Jews were allowed to travel on the Sabbath.

Syn. -- Sabbath, Sunday. Sabbath is not strictly synonymous with Sunday. Sabbath denotes the institution; Sunday is the name of the first day of the week. The Sabbath of the Jews is on Saturday, and the Sabbath of most Christians on Sunday. In New England, the first day of the week has been called "the Sabbath," to mark it as holy time; Sunday is the word more commonly used, at present, in all parts of the United States, as it is in England. "So if we will be the children of our heavenly Father, we must be careful to keep the Christian Sabbath day, which is the Sunday." Homilies.

Sab"bath*less, a. Without Sabbath, or intermission of labor; hence, without respite or rest. Bacon.

{ Sab*bat"ic (?), Sab*bat"ic*al (?) }, a. [Gr. &?;: cf. F. sabbatique.] Of or pertaining to the Sabbath; resembling the Sabbath; enjoying or bringing an intermission of labor.

Sabbatical year (Jewish Antiq.), every seventh year, in which the Israelites were commanded to suffer their fields and vineyards to rest, or lie without tillage.

Sab"ba*tism (?), n. [L. sabbatismus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to keep the Sabbath: cf. F. sabbatisme. See Sabbath.] Intermission of labor, as upon the Sabbath; rest. Dr. H. More.

Sab"ba*ton (?), n. [Cf. Sp. zapaton, a large shoe, F. sabot a wooden shoe.] A round-toed, armed covering for the feet, worn during a part of the sixteenth century in both military and civil dress.

Sa*be"an (?), a. & n. Same as Sabian.

Sa"be*ism (?), n. Same as Sabianism.