SIGNIFICANT 4 Importance; moment; weight; consequence. Many a circumstance of less significancy has been construed into an overt act of high treason. Addison. Significant (sig-nif'i-kant), a. [L. signifi cans, significantis, ppr. of significo. See SIGNIFY.) 1. Serving to signify something; fitted or intended to signify something; as, (a) bearing a meaning; expressing or containing signification or sense; as, a significant word or sound. (b) Expressive in an eminent degree; forcible. Common life is full of this kind of significant expressions. Holder. (c) Expressive or suggestive of something more than what appears; meaning; as, to give a person a significant look. (d) Betokening something; representative of something; standing as a sign of something. It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were sig Raleigh, nificant, but not efficient. To add to religious duties such rites and ceremonies as are significant, is to institute new sacraHooker. ments. pears. Significate (sig-nif'i-kåt), n. In logic, one of several things signified by a common term. Whately. Signification (sig'ni-fi-ka"shon), n. [L. sig. nificatio. See SIGNIFY.] 1. The act of sig nifying, or of making known by signs or words, or by anything that is understood. All speaking or signification of one's mind implies an act or address of one man to another. South. 2. That which is signified or expressed by signs or words; meaning; import; sense; that which the person using a sign intends to convey, or that which men in general who use it understand it to convey. The signification of words is dependent on usage; but when custom has annexed a certain sense to sound, or to a combination of sounds, this sense is always to be considered the signification which the person using the words intends to communicate. So by custom certain signs or gestures have a determined signification. Such is the fact also with figures, algebraic characters, &c.& That which signifies; a sign [Rare.] Significative (sig-nif'i-kat-iv), a. [Fr. signi ficatif. See SIGNIFY.] 1. Betokening or representing by an external sign; as, the significative symbols of the eucharist. 2 Having signification or meaning; expressive of a meaning; sometimes strongly expressive of a certain idea or thing. That In this diagram there was one significator which pressed remarkably upon our astrologer's attention. Sir W. Scott. Significatory (sig-nif'i-ká-to-ri), a. Having 5 gnification or meaning. Significatory (sig-nifi-ka-to-ri), n. which betokens, signifies, or represents. Here is a double significatory of the spirit, a word and a sign. Fer. Taylor. Significavit (sig'ni-fi-ka"vit), n. [Third pers. sing pret. ind. of L. significo, to signify.] In eccles law, a writ, now obsolete, issuing out of Chancery upon certificate given by the ordinary of a man's standing excommunicate by the space of forty days, for the keeping him in prison till he submit himself to the authority of the church. Whar ton Signify (sig'ni-fi), vt. pret. & pp. signified; PT. signifying. [Fr. signifier, from L. sigifico signum, a sign, and facio, to make.] 1. To make known by signs or words; to express or communicate to another by words, 81 gestures, &c.; as, he signified to me his intention. Then Paul .. entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification. Acts xxii. 26. 2. To give notice; to announce; to impart; to declare; to proclaim. My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you, Within the house, your mistress is at hand. Shak. 3. To mean; to have or contain a certain sense; to import; as, in Latin 'amo' signifies 'I love.-4. To suggest as being intended; to indicate. Let him have some plaster, or some loam, or Some rough-cast about him, to signify wall. Shak. 5. To weigh; to matter: used almost intransitively in particular phrases; as, it signifies much or little; it signifies nothing; what does it signify? What signifies the people's consent in making and repealing laws, if the person who administers hath Swift. no tie? And whether coldness, pride, or virtue dignify A woman-so she's good, what can it signify Byron. SYN. To express, manifest, declare, utter, intimate, betoken, denote, imply, mean. Signify (sig'ni-fi), v.i. To express meaning with force. 'If the words be but comely and signifying.' B. Jonson. [Rare.] Signior (sen'yor), n. An English form of the Italian Signore, Spanish Señor, a title of respect equivalent to the English Sir or Mr., the French Monsieur, and the German Herr. Written also Signor, Seignior. See SEIGNIOR. Signiorizet (sen'yor-iz), v.t. To exercise dominion over; to lord it over. 'He that signiorizeth hell' Fairfax. Signiorizet (sen'yor-iz), v.i. To exercise dominion, or to have dominion. O'er whom, save heaven, nought could signiorize. Kyd. Signiory, Signory (sẽn'yo-ri), n. 1. A principality; a province. Through all the signiories it was the first, Shak. And Prospero the prime duke. 2. The landed property of a lord; a domain; an estate; a manor. Eating the bitter bread of banishment, Whilst you have fed upon my signiories. Shak. 3. Government; dominion; power; seigniory. 'The inextinguishable thirst for signiory.' Kyd.-4. A governing body. My services which I have done the signiory." Shak.5. Seniority. The benefit of signiory.' Shak. Signitary (sig'ni-ta-ri), a. Same as Signatory. Sign - manual (sin-man'u-al), n. A signature; the subscription of one's own name to a document; specifically, a royal signature, which must be adhibited to all writs which have to pass the privy seal or great seal. Signor (sen'yor), n. Same as Signior. Signora (sen-yō'ra), n. An Italian title of address or respect, equivalent to Madam, Mrs. Signorina (sën-yō-rē'na), n. An Italian title of respect, equivalent to the English Miss and the French Mademoiselle. Signory. Set SIGNIORY. Sign-painter (sin'pant-ér), n. A painter of signs for tradesmen, &c. Sign-post (sin’põst), n. A post on which a sign hangs. Signum (signum), n. [L] In law, a cross prefixed as a sign of assent and approbation to a charter or deed. Sike,+ a. Such. Spenser. Sike (sik), n. [Icel. sik.] A small stream of water; a rill; a marshy bottom with a small stream in it. [Scotch and North of England. ] Sick. Chaucer. Sike, a. Sikert (sik'ér), a. or adv. Sure; surely. See Sikerly, adv. Surely; securely. Chaucer. Sikernesst (sik'êr-nes), n. Sureness; safety. Sikh (sek), n. One of an Indian community, half religious, half military (founded about A.D. 1500), which professes the purest Deism, and is chiefly distinguished from the Hindus by worshipping one only invisible God. They founded a state in the Punjaub about the end of the eighteenth century. which was annexed to the British Empire in India in 1849. Written also Seik. Silaus (sī'la-us), n. [A name given to an umbelliferous plant by Pliny.] A genus of plants, nat. order Umbelliferæ. They are tall perennial herbs, with finely divided n, Fr ton; ng, sing; TH, then; th, thin; SILENT leaves and umbels of white or yellowish flowers, natives of Europe and Asia. S. pratensis (meadow-pepper saxifrage) is found in damp and moist places in England, other parts of Europe, and Siberia. The whole plant has an unpleasant smell when bruised, and cattle generally avoid it in pastures. Sile (sil), n. [Sw. sil, a strainer; sila, to strain, to sift; L.G. sielen, to draw off water; akin silt.] A sieve; a strainer. [Old and Provincial English and Scotch.] Sile (sil), v.t. To strain, as fresh milk from the cow. [Old and Provincial English and Scotch.] Sile (sil), vi. To flow down; to drop; to fall. [Provincial.] Sileneæ (si-le'nē-ė), n. plur. [From Silene.] A tribe of Caryophyllaceæ, the members of which have a tubular calyx and petals with claws. See CARYOPHYLLACEÆ. Silence (si'lens), n. [Fr. silence, from L. silentium, silence, from sileo, to be still, to be silent; comp. Goth silan, anasilan, to be silent.] 1. The condition prevailing when everything is silent; stillness or entire absence of sound or noise; as, the silence of midnight. The night's dead silence.' Shak. There was silence deep as death; And the boldest held his breath, For a time. Campbell. 2. The state of holding the peace; forbearance of speech in man or of noise in other animals; taciturnity; muteness; as, to keep silence; to listen in silence. Be check'd for silence, but never tax'd for speech. Shak. 3. The refraining from speaking of or making known something; secrecy; as, to reward a person for his silence.-4. Stillness; calmness; quiet; cessation of rage, agitation, or tumult; as, the elements reduced to silence.-5. Absence of mention; oblivion; obscurity. Milton. Eternal silence be their doom. A few more days, and this essay will follow the Defensio Populi to the dust and silence of the upper shelf. Macaulay. Silence (si'lens), v. t. pret. & pp. silenced; ppr. silencing. To make silent; to put to silence; (a) to oblige to hold the peace; to cause to cease speaking; as, to silence a loquacious speaker. To silence envious tongues: be just, and fear not. (b) To restrain in reference to liberty of speech; especially, to restrain from preaching by revoking a license to preach; as, to silence a minister of the gospel. It is the little rift within the lute, That by and by will make the music mute, And ever widening slowly silence all. Tennyson. (d) To still; to quiet; to restrain; to appease. Would have silenced their scruples.' Daniel Rogers. This would silence all further opposition. Clarendon, (e) To stop the noise of firing from; to make to cease firing, especially by a vigorous cannonade; as, to silence guns or a battery. Silence (si'lens), interj. Used elliptically for let there be silence, or keep silence. Silene (si-lē'ně), n. [Origin doubtful.] An extensive genus of plants belonging to the natural order Caryophyllaceæ. The species are in general herbaceous; the stems are leafy, jointed, branched, and frequently glutinous below each joint. The greatest proportion are inhabitants of the south of Europe and north of Africa; many occur in the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Several species are British, which are known by the names of campion and catch-fly. Many are cultivated in gardens as ornamental flowers. S. compacta or closeflowered catch-fly is one of the most beautiful of the genus. S. inflata, or bladdercampion, is edible. The young shoots boiled are a good substitute for green peas or asparagus. Silent (silent), a. [L. silens, silentis, ppr. of sileo. See SILENCE, n.] 1. Not speaking; mute; dumb; speechless. O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. Ps. xxii. 2. Tennyson. Her eyes are homes of silent prayer. w, wig; wh, whig; zh, azure.-See KEY. 5. Not operative; wanting efficacy. Causes silent, virtueless, and dead." Raleigh. 6. Not pronounced or expressed; having no sound in pronunciation; as,e is silent in fable. -Silent partner. Same as Dormant Partner. See under DORMANT.-Silent system, a system of prison discipline which imposes entire silence among the prisoners even when assembled together.-SYN. Dumb, mute, speechless, taciturn, soundless, voiceless, quiet, still. Silent (silent), n. Silence; silent period. 'Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night.' Shak. Silentiary (si-len'shi-a-ri), n. 1. One appointed to keep silence and order in a court of justice.-2. A privy-councillor; one sworn not to divulge secrets of state. Barrow. Silentious (si-len'shus), a. Habitually silent; taciturn; reticent. Silently (si'lent-li), adv. In a silent manner; as, (a) without speech or words. Each silently Demands thy grace, and seems to watch thy eye. Dryden. (b) Without noise; as, to march silently. With tiptoe step vice silently succeeds. Cowper. (c) Without mention. The difficulties remain still, till he can show who is meant by right heir; in all those cases the present possessor has no son: this he silently passes over. Locke. Silentness (si'lent-nes), n. State of being silent; stillness; silence. The moonlight steeped in silentness, The steady weathercock. Silenus (si-le'nus), n. [Gr. Silenos.] A Grecian divinity, the foster-father and attendant of Bacchus, and likewise leader of the satyrs. He was represented as a robust old man, generally in a state of intoxication, and riding on an ass carrying a cantharus or bottle. Silery+ (sil'èr-i), n. In arch. foliage carved on the tops of pillars. Silesia (si-le'shi-a), n. A species of linen cloth, so called from its being manufactured originally in Silesia, a province of Prussia; thin coarse linen. Silesian (si-le'shi-an), n. A native or inhabitant of Silesia. Silesian (si-le'shi-an), a. Pertaining to Silesia; made in Silesia; as, Silesian linen. Silex (si'leks), n. [L.] Same as Silica (which see). Silhouette (sil'ö-et), n. [From Etienne de Silhouette, French minister of finance in 1759, in derision of his economical attempts to reform the financial state of France while minister. Everything supposed to be excessively economical was then characterized as in Silhouette. the Silhouette style, and the term has been retained for this sort of portrait.] A name given to the representation of an object filled in of a black colour, the inner parts being sometimes indicated by lines of a lighter colour, and shadows or extreme depths by the aid of a heightening of gum or other shining medium. Silica (si'li-ka), n. [L. silex, silicis, a flint.] (SiO2) Oxide of silicon. This important substance constitutes the characteristic ingredient of a great variety of minerals, among which rock-crystal, quartz, chalcedony, and flint may be considered as nearly pure silica. It also predominates in many of the rocky masses which constitute the crust of our globe, such as granite, the varieties of sandstone, and quartz rock. It is the chief substance of which glass is made; also an ingredient, in a pulverized state, in the manufacture of stoneware, and it is essential in the preparation of tenacious mortar. Silica, when pure, is a fine powder, hard, insipid, and inodorous, rough to the touch, and scratches and wears away glass. It combines in definite proportions with many salifiable bases, and its various compounds are termed silicates. Plate-glass and window-glass, or, as it is commonly called, crown-glass, are silicates of sodium or potassium, and flint-glass is a similar compound, with a large addition of silicate of lead. See SILICIC. Silicate (sil'i-kāt), n. A salt of silicic acid. Silicates formed by the union of silicic acid, or silica, with the bases alumina, lime, magnesia, potassa, soda, &c., constitute the greater number by far of the hard minerals which encrust the globe. The silicates of potash and soda, when heated to redness, form glass.-Silicate paint, natural silica, when dried and forming an almost impalpable powder, mixed with colours and oil. Unlike the ordinary lead paints, all the silicate colours are non-poisonous. Silicate white has great covering power; is not affected by gases; and heat of 500° is successfully resisted. Silicated (sil'i-kat-ed), a. Coated, mixed, combined, or impregnated with silica. Silicated soap, a mixture of silicate of soda and hard soap. The Silicatization (sil'i-kat-iz-a"shon), n. process of combining with silica so as to change to a silicate. Per Siliceous, Silicious (si-lish'us), a. taining to silica, containing it, or partaking of its nature and qualities; as, siliceous limestone; siliceous slate; siliceous nodules, &c.-Siliceous cement, a hydraulic cement containing a certain proportion of a silicate. -Siliceous earth, silica (which see).- Siliceous waters, such as contain silica in solution, as many boiling springs. Silicic (si-lis'ik), a. Of or pertaining to silica; as, silicic ether; silicic acid.-Silicic acid, an acid obtained by decomposing sodium silicate with hydrochloric acid and dialysing the liquid so obtained. Silicic acid has not been obtained in the pure form, as it undergoes decomposition into water and silica when heated. Many silicic acids are believed to exist. The normal acid is H, SiO4. Silici-calcareous (si-lis'i-kal-kā"rē-us), a. Consisting of silica and calcareous matter. Siliciferous (sil-i-sif'èr-us), a. [L. silex, silicis, silex, and fero, to produce.] Producing silica, or united with a portion of silica. Silicification (si-lis'i-fi-ka"shon), n. Petrifaction; the conversion of any substance into stone by siliceous matter. Silicify (si-lis'i-fi), v. t. pret. & pp. silicified; ppr. silicifying. [L. silex, silicis, flint, and facio, to make.] To convert into or petrify by silica. Silicify (si-lis'i-fi), v.i. To become silica; to be impregnated with silica. Silicimurite (si-lis'i-mu"rit), n. [L. silex, Silicited (si-lis'it-ed), a. Impregnated with Siliciureted, Siliciuretted (si-lis'i-u-reted), a. In chem. combined or impregnated with silicon.-Siliciureted hydrogen, a gas composed of silicon and hydrogen, which takes fire spontaneously when in contact with air, giving out a brilliant white light. Silicle (sil'i-kl), n. [L. silicula, dim. of siliqua, a pod. In bot. a kind of seed Silicle or Pouch. 1. Shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). 2, Do. opened, to show the placentæ, the seeds, and the two valves. 3, Vernal Whitlow-grass (Draba verna or Erophila vulgaris). 4, Do. opened, to show the valves, the dissepiment, and the seeds. 5, Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). vessel, in structure resembling a siliqua, but differing from it in being as broad as it is long or broader. Examples of it may be SILIQUOSA seen in the whitlow-grass, in the shepherd'spurse, and in the horse-radish. Among the algae the name is given to a similar vessel, pod-like, oblong, conical, linear, or lanceolate, transversely striated, and formed either of transformed branches or portions of a branch. It is not quite certain that these are connected with the reproduction of the plant. See SILIQUA. Silico-fluoric (sil'i-kō-flu-or'ik), a. The name of an acid, H, Si F. When silicic acid is dissolved by hydrofluoric acid a gas is produced which is colourless, fuming strongly in the air. It is absorbed by water and hydrated silicic acid is deposited, while an acid is found in the water which is termed silico-fluoric acid, or hydrofluosilicic acid. With bases this acid forms salts called silicofluorides, which are nearly all insoluble. Silico-fluoride(sil'i-kō-flu"or-id), n. (M.SIF) A salt of silico-fluoric acid. See SILICO FLUORIC. Silicon (sil'i-kon), n. [From L. silex, silicis, a flint.] Sym. Si. At. wt. 28. The nonmetallic element of which silica is the oxide. Silicon may be obtained amorphous or crystalline. In the latter form it is very hard, dark-brown, lustrous, and not readily oxidized. It is insoluble in all ordinary acids, with the exception of hydrofluoric. Silicon unites with hydrogen, chlorine, &c., to form well-marked compounds. In its general analogies it closely resembles carbon. Called also Silicium. Silicula, Silicule (si-lik'ü-la, sil'i-kül), n Same as Silicle. Siliculosa (si-lik'ü-lõ"sa), n. pl. One of the two orders into which Linnæus divided his class Tetradynamia. It comprehends those plants which have a silicle. See SILICLE. Siliculose, Siliculous (si-lik'u-los, si-lik'ulus), a. 1. Having silicles or pertaining to them.-2. Full of or consisting of husks; husky. Bailey. Siliginose, t Siliginoust (si-lij'in-os, si-lij'in-us), a. [L. siligo, siliginis, a very fine kind 3 Siliqua or Pod. 1,Mustard. 2, Wall-flower. 3. Do. opened, to show the valves, replum or dissepiment, and seeds. of white wheat. } Made of white wheat. Bailey. Siling-dish (sil'ingdish), n. [See SILE.] A colander; a strainer. [Obsolete or local.] Siliqua (sil'i-kwa),n. pl. Siliquæ (sil'ikwe). [L. siliqua, a pod, also a very small weight.] 1. In bot. the long pod-like fruit of crucifers; a kind of seed-vessel. It is characterized by dehiscing by two valves which separate from a central portion called the replum. It is linear in form, and is always superior to the calyx and corolla. The seeds are attached to two placentre, which adhere to the replum, and are opposite to the lobes of the stigma. Examples may be seen in the stock or wall-flower, and in the cabbage, turnip. and mustard.-2. A weight of 4 grains, used in weighing gold and precious stones; a carat. Siliquaria (sil-i-kwa'ri-a), n. marine gasteropodous molluscs, found both fossil and recent. The shell is tubular, spiral at its beginning, continued in an irregular form, divided laterally through its whole length by a narrow slit, and formed into chambers by entire septa. Recent siliquariæ have been found in sponges. Cuvier places the genus in the order Tubulibranchiata. Silique (si-lek'), n. Same as Siliqua. Siliquella (sil-i-kwella), A genus of Siliquaria anguina. n. In bot. a subordinate part of the fruit of certain plants, as the poppy, consisting of a division or carpel and the two placentæ. Siliquiform (si-lik'wi-form), a. Having the form of a siliqua. Siliquosa (sil-i-kwo'sa), n. pl. One of the two orders into which Linnæus divided his class SILIQUOSE Tetradynamia, the other being Siliculosa. It comprehends those plants which have a siliqua, as the cabbage, turnip, mustard, &c. Siliquose, Siliquous (sil'i-kwos, sil'i-kwus), a. L siliquosus, from siliqua, a pod.] In bot. bearing silique; having that species of pericarp called siliqua; as, siliquose plants. Silk (silk), n. [A. Sax. seoloc, silk, for serie, from L. sericum, Gr. serikon, silk, lit. Seric stuff, from Seres, the Greek name of the Chinese.] 1. The fine, soft thread produced by the larvae of numerous species belonging to the genus Bombyx and other genera of the family Bombycidae, lepidopterous insects of the section popularly known by the name moth, the most important of which is the Bombyx mori, or common silkworm, a native of the northern provinces of China Silk is the strongest, most lustrous, and most valuable of textile fabrics, and is a thread composed of several finer threads which the worm draws from two large organs or glands, containing a viscid substance, which extend along great part of the body, and terminate in two spinnerets at the mouth. With this substance the silkworm envelops itself, forming what is called a cocoon. Raw silk is produced by the operation of winding off, at the same time, several of the balls or cocoons (which are immersed in hot water to soften the natural gum on the filament) on a common reel, thereby forming one smooth even thread. Before it is fit for weaving it is converted into one of three forms, viz. singles, tram, or organzine. Singles (a collective noun) is formed of one of the reeled threads, being twisted in order to give it strength and firmness. Tram is formed of two or more threads twisted together. In this state it is commonly used in weaving, as the shoot or weft. Thrown silk is formed of one, two, three, or more singles, according to the substance required, twisted together in a contrary direction to that in which the singles of which it is composed are twisted. The silk so twisted is called organzine. Spun silk is waste silk, pierced cocoons, floss, &c., dressed, combed, formed into rovings, and spun by processes and on machinery analogous to that used in the worsted manufacture.-Tussah silk, a term applied to the raw silk produced by a variety of moths other than the ordinary silkworm, Bombyx mori.-2. Cloth made of silk. In this sense the word has a plural, silks, denoting different sorts and varieties; as, black silk, white silk, coloured silks. He caused the shore to be covered with Persian silk for him to tread upon. Knalles 3. A garment made of silk. She bethought her of a faded silk. Tennyson. 4. [United States.] A name given to the filiform style of the female flower of maize, from its resemblance to real silk in fineness and softness.- Virginia silk, a climbing plant of the genus Periploca (P. græca), having the seed covered with a silky tuft. Silk (silk), a. Made of silk; silken. Silk stockings. Shak.-Silk gown, the technical name given to the canonical robe of a queen's counsel, differing from that of an ordinary barrister in being made of silk and not of stuff; hence, the counsel himself. Mr. Blowers, the eminent silk-gown.' Dickens-To take silk, to attain the rank of queen's counsel. Silk-cotton (silk'kot-tn), n. A short, silky and elastic fibre surrounding the seeds of the genus Bombax, and some other trees. It is used for stuffing mattresses, for covering hat bodies, &c.-Silk-cotton tree, a tree of the genus Bombax (which see). Silk-dresser (silk'dres-èr), n. One employed in dressing or stiffening and smoothing silk. Simmonds. Silken (silk'n), a. [A. Sax. seoleen.] 1. Made of silk; as, silken cloth; a silken veil. silken thread. Shak-2. Like silk; soft to the touch; hence, delicate; tender; smooth. Silken terms precise. Shak.-3. Dressed in silk. A cocker'd silken wanton.' Shak. Silken (silk'n), v.t. To make like silk; to render soft or smooth. Silkening their fleeces John Dyer. Silk-fowl (silk foul), n. A variety of the domestic fowl with silky plumage. The silk-fowl breeds true, and there is reason to believe is a very ancient race; but when I reared a large number of mongrels from a silk-hen by a Spanish cock, not one exhibited even a trace of the socalled silkiness. Darwin. Silk-hen (silk'hen), n. The female silk-fowl (which see) SILT a mine.-4. The shaft or thill of a carriage. [Provincial English.] Sill (sil), n. [Icel. sil, a fish allied to the herring.] The young of a herring. [Provincial English.] Sillabub (sil'la-bub), n. [From O. and Prov. E. sile, syle, to milk a cow (see SILE), and bub, a kind of liquor.] A dish made by mixing wine or cider with cream or milk, and thus forming a soft curd. Siller (sil'ér), n. Silver; money. [Scotch.] Sillery (sil'ér-i), n. [From the Marquis of Sillery, the owner of the vineyards yielding this wine.] A non-sparkling champagne wine, of an esteemed kind. Sillik (sil'ik), n. See SILLOCK. Sillily (silli-li), adv. In a silly manner; foolishly; without the exercise of good sense or judgment. We are caught as sillily as the bird in the net. Sir R. L'Estrange. Sillimanite (sil'li-man-it), n. A mineral found in Saybrook in Connecticut, so named in honour of Professor Silliman, the American savant. It is a silicate of alumina, and occurs in long, slender, rhombic prisms, engaged in gneiss. Its colour is dark gray and brown; lustre shining upon the external planes, but brilliant and pseudo-metallic upon those produced by cleavage in a direction parallel with the longer diagonal of the prism. It is identical in composition with andalusite and kyanite. Silliness (sil'li-nes), n. The quality of being silly; weakness of understanding; want of sound sense or judgment; simplicity; folly. It is silliness to live when to live is torment. Shak. Sillock (sil'ok), n. [Dim. of prov. sill, a young herring. See SILL.] The name given in the Orkney Islands to the fry of the coal-fish, a congener of the cod. Also spelled Silloc, Sillik, and Sellok. Sillon (sillon), n. [Fr.] In fort. a work raised in the middle of a ditch, to defend it when it is too wide. Silly (sil'li), a. [O.E. seely, sely, A. Sax. sælig, happy, prosperous, blessed; Icel. sælligr, G. selig, happy, blessed; from A. Sax. sol, Icel. sæll, Goth. sels, good, prosperous, happy. The development of meaning-prosperous, blessed, good, simple, silly-presents no difficulty.] 1. Happy; fortunate. Wickliffe.-2.† Plain; simple; rude; rustic. There was a fourth man, in a silly habit, 3. Harmless; simple; guileless; innocent; in- Here with the shepherds and the silly sheep. 4. Weak; impotent; helpless; frail. My silly bark.' Spenser. [Obs. or provincial.]-5. Foolish, as a term of pity, destitute of strength of mind; weak in intellect; poor; witless; simple. The silly queen, with more than love's good will, 6. Foolish, as a term of contempt; characterized by weakness or folly; proceeding from want of understanding or common judgment; showing folly; unwise; stupid; as, a silly fellow; very silly conduct. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard. Shak. 7. Fatuous; imbecile; having weakness of mind approaching to idiocy. Sir W. Scott. [Scotch.]-8. Weak in body; not in good health. [Scotch.] Sillyhow (sil'li-hou), n [A. Sax. sælig, happy, prosperous, and húfe, a hood.] The membrane that covers the head of the fetus; a caul. See CAUL. [Old English and Scotch.] Silphidae (sil'fi-de), n. pl. A family of coleopterous insects, belonging to the section Pentamera, and sub-section Necrophaga, having five distinct joints in all the tarsi, and the mandibles terminated in an entire point, and not notched. These insects subsist upon putrefying substances. The most interesting genus is Necrophorus, which contains the sexton-beetles or burying-beetles. The carrion-beetle belongs to the genus Silpha. Silt (silt), n. [From stem of Prov. E. and Sc. sile, to strain or filter. See SILE.] A deposit of mud or fine soil from running or standing water; fine earthy sediment; as, a harbour choked up with silt. In long process of time the silt and sands shall so choak and shallow the sea.' Sir T. Browne. Silt (silt), v.t. To choke, fill, or obstruct with silt or mud: often with up; as, the channel got silted up. SILT Silt (silt), v.i. To percolate through crevices; to ooze. Silty (silt'i), a. Consisting of or resembling silt; full of silt. Silure (si-lür), n. A fish of the genus Silurus, the sheat-fish. Silurian (si-lu'ri-an), a. Of or belonging to the Silures, an ancient people of South Wales, or their country.-Silurian rocks, strata, system, in geol. the name given by Murchison to a great succession of paleozoic strata intervening between the Cambrian formation and the base of the old red sandstone; so called from the district where the strata was first investigated, the region of the Silures, a tribe of ancient Britons. The Silurian rocks in Britain have been divided into upper, middle, and lower Silurian; the upper comprising the Mayhill, Wenlock, and Ludlow groups; the middle, the Llandovery rocks; and the lower, the Caradoc and Llandeilo groups. Silurian strata have been examined in all parts of the world, and co-related with the British types; and though the nature of the rocks may differ, the same facies of life prevails, the fossils exhibiting most of the forms of invertebrate life. Siluridæ (si-lu'ri-dē), n. pl. [L. silurus, Gr. silouros, the sheat-fish.] A family of fishes, of the order Malacopterygii, placed by Cuvier between the Esocidae or pikes and the Salmonidæ or salmon. The family Silurida (otherwise named sheat-fishes) constitutes a very extensive section of fishes, the species of which are, for the most part, confined to the fresh waters of warm climates. They present great diversity of form, but their most obvious external characters are the want of true scales; the skin is generally naked, but in parts protected by large bony The Sly Silurus (Silurus glanis). plates; the foremost ray of the dorsal and pectoral fins almost always consists of a strong bony ray, often serrated either in front or behind, or on both sides. mouth is almost always provided with barbules. The only known European species of Silurus is the Silurus glanis, Linn., a fish of a very large size, which is found in the lakes of Switzerland, in the Danube, the Elbe, and all the rivers of Hungary. It takes its prey by lying in wait for it. The flesh, which is fat, is used in some places for the same purposes as lard. Siluridan (si-lu'ri-dan), n. A fish of the family Siluridæ. Silurus (si-lü'rus), n. [L] A genus of ma lacopterygious fishes, the type of the family Siluridæ. See SILURIDE. Silva (sil'va), n. [L., a wood.] 1. Same as Sylva.--2. A name given to a woodland plain of the great Amazonian region of South America. Silvan (sil'van), a. [From L. silva, a wood or grove; hence also savage.] Pertaining to or composed of woods or groves; sylvan. See SYLVAN. Silvan (sil'van), n. An obsolete name for the element tellurium. Written also Sylvan. Silvanite (sil'van-it), n. A mineral composed of tellurium, gold, and silver, called also Graphic Tellurium, of high value as an ore of gold. It is very sectile, is sometimes crystallized, and of a metallic lustre. Silvanus (sil-va'nus), n. A Roman rural deity, so called from L. silva, a wood. He is usually represented with a sickle in his right hand and a bough in his left. He is described as the protector of herds and trees from wolves and lightning, the god of agriculture, or the defender of boundaries. Silvate (sil'vät), n. See SYLVATE. Silver (silver), n. [A. Sax. seolfer, sylfer, Icel. silfr, D. zilver, Dan. sölv, G. silber, Goth. silubr; cog. Rus. srebro, serebro, Lith. sidabras, Lett. sudrabs-silver. Root doubtful.] Sym. Ag. At. wt. 108. 1. A metal which in its compact state is of a fine white colour and lively brilliancy. It possesses 84 the metallic lustre in a remarkable degree, is capable of being highly polished, and has neither taste nor smell. Its sp. gr. is about 10 53. A cubic foot weighs about 660 lbs. Its ductility is little inferior to that of gold. It is harder and more elastic than tin or gold, but less so than copper, platinum, or iron. It is superior to gold in lustre, but inferior to it in malleability; it is, however, so malleable that it may be beaten into leaves not exceeding the 100,000th part of an inch in thickness. It is not altered by air or moisture, but is blackened or tarnished by sulphuretted hydrogen. The numerous uses and applications of silver are well known. In its pure state it is too soft for coin, plate, and most ornamental purposes, and is therefore in such cases alloyed with copper, by which, in proper proportion, its colour is not materially impaired, and it is considerably hardened. The standard silver of our coin is an alloy 222 parts of pure silver, and 18 of copper. Native silver occurs abundantly, and is generally alloyed with gold, platinum, copper, iron, arsenic, cobalt, &c.,most frequently with platinum. The ores of silver are numerous, and indeed there are few metallic ores which do not contain some traces of it. The principal ores are the following: Monochloride of silver, or hornsilver, a soft bluish-gray mineral found chiefly in Chili and Peru, but also in smaller quantities in Siberia, the Hartz, Norway, Saxony, Brittany, and Cornwall; it contains about 75 per cent of silver. Argentite, vitreous sulphide of silver, or silver-glance, a dark leaden-gray ore, with a metallic lustre when cut, found in Saxony, Bohemia, Hungary, and Mexico; it contains about 86 per cent of silver. Brittle or black sulphide of silver or stephanite, a brittle, blackish mineral found at Freiberg, in Peru, and Mexico; it contains about 67 per cent of silver. Polybasite, another form of the brittle sulphide, is of an iron-gray colour, and found in Mexico, Chili, Nevada, and Idaho; it contains from 64 to 72 per cent of silver. Darkred silver ore, ruby-silver, or Pyrargyrite, a widely disseminated ore, yields about 60 per cent of silver. Native amalgam, a soft mineral of a bright silver-white appearance, is found in many localities, and contains about 36 per cent of silver. Argentiferous galena, the sulphide of lead, which yields a variable amount of silver, is reckoned very rich when it contains 0.005.-Fulminating silver, a very explosive powder formed by heating aqueous nitrate of silver with strong nitric acid and alcohol. See FULMINATING. -German silver, nickel silver. See GERMANSILVER, NICKEL-SILVER.-2. Money; coin made of silver.-3. A piece of plate, or utensil for domestic use, made of silver. 'Sipt wine from silver, praising God.' Tennyson. 4. Anything resembling silver; anything having a lustre like silver. Pallas... piteous of her plaintive cries, In slumber clos'd her silver streaming eyes. Pope. -Silver is used in the formation of many selfexplanatory compounds; as, silver-bright, silver-clear, silver-coated, silver-sweet, silver-voiced, silver-white, &c. Silver (silver), a. 1. Made of silver; as, a silver cup.-2. Resembling silver; having some of the characteristics of silver; silvery; as, (a) white like silver; of a shining white hue. Shame to thy silver hair.' Shak. (b) Having a pale lustre; having a soft splendour. The silver moon.' Shak. Yon silver beams (c) Bright; lustrous; shining; glittering. Spread o'er the silver waves thy golden hairs. Shak 'Music (d) Having a soft and clear tone. with her silver sound.' Shak. (e) Soft: gentle; quiet; peaceful. 'Silver slumber." Spenser.Silver age, the second mythological period in the history of the world, following the simple and patriarchal golden age. It is fabled as under the rule of Jupiter, and was characterized by voluptuousness. See Golden age under GOLDEN, Iron age under IRON. The term silver age is also applied to a period of Roman literature subsequent to the most brilliant period, and extending from about A. D. 14 to AD. 180. Silver (silver), v. t. 1. To cover superficially with a coat of silver; as, to silver a pin or a dial-plate. On a tribunal silver'd, Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold Were publicly enthroned. Shak. SILVER-THISTLE 2. To cover with tin-foil amalgamated with quicksilver; as, to silver glass.-3. To adorn with mild or silver-like lustre; to give a silvery sheen to. 'And smiling calmness silver'd o'er the deep.' Pope. The loveliest moon that ever silver'd o'er A shell for Neptune's goblet. Keats. 4. To make hoary; to tinge with gray. sable silver'd.' Shak. 'A His head was silver'd o'er with age. Gay. Silver-beater (sil'vér-bet-ér), n. One who beats silver or forms it into a thin leaf or foil. Silver-bell, Silver-bell Tree (sil'vér-bel, silver-bel tre), n. A name common to the shrubs or small trees of the genus Halesia, nat. order Styracaceae; snow-berry tree. Silver-bush (sil'vér-bush), n. An evergreen leguminous plant, a species of Anthyllis, the A. barba Jovis. Silver-buskined (sil'vér-bus-kind), a. Having buskins adorned with silver. 'Fair silver-buskin'd nymphs.' Milton. Silver-fir (sil'vèr-fer), n. A species of fir, the Abies picea or Picea pectinata, so called from two silvery lines on the under side of the leaves. It is a native of the mountains of the middle and south of Europe, but has long been common in Britain. It grows to the height of 150 to 180 feet, forming a very fine tree. Its timber is not so much prized as that of some other species, but is used for various purposes, and is durable under water. It yields resin, turpentine, tar, &c., especially the fine clear turpentine known as Strasburg turpentine. The American silver-fir, the balm of Gilead fir (Abies balsamea), yields the Canada-balsam used for optical purposes. Other species of Picea are also called silver-firs. Silver-fish (sil'vèr-fish), n. A fish of the size of a small carp, having a white colour striped with silvery lines. It is a variety of the Cyprinus auratus, or gold-fish. Silver-fox (sil'vér-foks), n. A species of fox, Vulpes argentatus, inhabiting the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and America, and distinguished by its rich and valuable fur, which is of a shining black colour, having a small quantity of white mixed with it in different proportions. Silver-glance (silver-glans), n. A mineral, a native sulphuret of silver. See under SILVER. Silver-grain (silver-gran), n. A name given to the medullary rays, or vertical plates of cellular tissue which connect the pith of exogenous plants with the bark. Silver-gray (sil'vér-gra), a. Of a colour resembling silver. Tennyson. Silver-haired (sil'vèr-hard), a. Having hair of the colour of silver; having white or gray hair. Silvering (sil'vèr-ing), n. 1. The art, operation, or practice of covering the surface of anything with silver, or with an amalgam of tin and mercury; as, the silvering of copper or brass; the silvering of mirrors. 2. The silver or amalgam laid on. Silverize (sil'vér-iz), v. t. pret. & pp. silverized; ppr. silverizing. To coat or cover with silver. Silver-leaf (sil'vér-lef), n. Silver foliated or beaten out into a thin leaf. Silverless (sil'vér-les), a. Having no silver; without money; impecunious. Piers Plow man. Silverling (silver-ling), n. A silver coin. A thousand vines at a thousand silverlings." Is. vii. 23. Silverly (silver-li), adv. With a bright or sparkling appearance, like silver. Let me wipe off this honourable dew That silverly doth progress on thy cheeks. Shak. Till it begins to progress silverly Around the western border of the wood. Keats. Silvern (sil'vern), a. Made of silver; silver. [Now archaic or poetical.] Silver-paper (silver-pa-pêr), n. Tissue paper. Covered Silver-plated (silver-plat-ed), a. with a thin coating of silver. Silversmith (silver-smith), n. One whose occupation is to work in silver. Acts xix. 24. Silver-stick (sil'vér-stik), n. The name given to a field-officer of the Life Guards when on palace duty. Silver - thistle, Silvery-thistle (silverthis-1, silver-i-this-1), n. A plant of the genus Acanthus, the A. spinosus, a native of Southern Europe, but cultivated in this country. Its leaves are supposed to have SILVER-TONGUED furnished to Callimachus the model for the Silver-weed (sil'vèr-wed), n. A plant of Silvery (silver-i), a. 1. Besprinkled, covered Of all the enamel'd race whose silvery wing Waves to the tepid zephyrs of the spring. Pope. In the hexameter rises the fountain's silvery column, In the pentameter aye falling in melody back. Coleridge. 3 Clear and soft, as the sound of a silver bell; as, silvery laughter.-4. In bot. bluish white or gray, with a metallic lustre. Silybum (sil'i-bum), n. A genus of composite plants belonging to the thistle group. S. Marianum is the Carduus Marianus of Linnæus, and is popularly known by the name of milk-thistle. It is found in waste places in Great Britain, and is distinguishable at once by the milky veins on its leaves, and the great recurved scales of the involucre. The white veins on the leaves were supposed to have been produced by a drop of the Virgin Mary's milk. Sima (si'ma). In arch. same as Cyma (which seel Simagret (sim'a-gra), n. [Fr. simagrée, a grimace.] A grimace. Dryden. [Rare.] Simar, Simaret (si-mar, si-mar), n. [Fr. simarre, It zimarra.] A woman's robe; a loose light garment. Written also Cimar, Cymar, Chimmar, and Simarre. 'Ladies dressed in rich simars.' Dryden. A simarre of the richest Persian silk.' Sir W. Scott. Simaruba (sim-a-rū'ba), n. [The Caribbean name of S. officinalis.] A genus of the nat order Simarubaceæ. They have compound leaves and small paniculate unisexual flowers. The bark of the root of S. amara or ofcinalis, a tall tree, a native of Guiana and of Jamaica, is also called simaruba. It is a tough, fibrous, bitter bark; the infusion is occasionally used in medicine as a tonic. Simarubaceæ (sim'a-ru-bā” sê-ē), n. pl. A nat. order of usually bitter trees or shrubs, with simple or compound leaves and regular unisexual flowers, natives chiefly of the torrid zone. Simblot (sim'blot), n. The harness of a weaver's draw-loom. Simmonds. Simeonite (sim'é-on-it), n. Eccles, a follower of the Rev. Charles Simeon, a highly evangelical clergyman of the English Church, who in the end of last century endeavoured to establish a fund, known as the Simeon trust, for the purchase of cures, to which men of similar sentiments with himself might be presented; hence, a name sometimes given to Low-churchmen. Sometimes abbreviated into Sim. Do you mean to tell me now that you regard chapels as anything but an unmitigated nuisance?' Most certainly I do mean to tell you so, if you ask me. Ah, I see-a simt Farrar. Simia (sim'i-a), n. [L, an ape, from simus, Simian, Simial (sim'i-an, sim'i-al), a. Of We are aware that there may be vulgar souls who, jedging from their simial selves, may doubt the con. tence of Scipio. Ferrold. It is now admitted that the differences between the brain of the highest races of man and that of the lowest, though less in degree, are of the same erder as those which separate the simian from the zipan brain. Sir C. Lyell. 85 Similar (sim'i-lér), a. [Fr. similaire, from There are other collateral manufactures of so simi Similar (sim'i-ler), n. That which is simi- The question to be asked is, whether the associa Similarity (sim-i-lar'i-ti), n. The state of From the . similarity it bore to the spruce, I Similarly (sim'i-lèr-li), adv. In a similar or Similary + (sim'i-lèr-i), a. Similar. 'Rhym- O, sir, Lucentio slipped me like his greyhound, They much describe, they nothing prove. Prior. Similiter (si-mil'i-tér), adv. [L, in like Similitude (si-mil'i-tūd), n. [Fr. simili- Similitude of substance would cause attraction. Fate some future bard shall join Let us make now man in our image, man Pope. SIMPER 2. A comparison; a parable or allegory; a simile. Tasso in his similitudes never departed from the woods, that is, his comparisons were taken from the country. Dryden. 3. A representation; a facsimile; a portrait. Similitudinary (si-mil'i-tu'di-na-ri), a. Involving the use of similitudes or similes; marking similitude. Sir E. Coke. Similor (sim'i-lor), n. A gold-coloured alloy of copper and zinc. Written also Semilor. Simious (sim'i-us), a. [L. simia, an ape.] Pertaining to or like the monkey; monkeylike. That strange simious school-boy passion of giving pain to others.' Sydney Smith. Simitar (sim'i-tér). See SCIMITAR. Simmer (sim'èr), v.i. [O.E. symper, to simmer; probably imitative of the gentle murmuring sound made by liquids beginning to boil or boiling very slowly.] To boil or bubble gently, or with a gentle hissing. Till the spirit simmer or boil a little.' Boyle. Simmer (sim'èr), v.t. To cause to boil gently. Simnelt (sim'nel),n. [Formerly also simenel, from O. Fr. simenel, siminel, a cake of fine flour; L.L. simenellus, siminellus (for similellus), from L. simila (with change of I to n), the finest wheat flour.] A cake made of fine flour; a kind of sweet cake; a cracknel. 'Not common bread, but wassel bread and simnels, for his diet.' Fuller. Sodden bread, which be called simnels or cracknels, be verie unwholesome. Bullein (1595). Simoniac (si-mō'ni-ak), n. [Fr. simoniaque. See SIMONY.] One who practises simony, or who buys or sells preferment in the church. Simoniacal (si-mõ-ni'ak-al), a. 1. Guilty of simony. Add to your criminals the simoniacal ladies who seduce the sacred order into the difficulty of breaking their troth. Spectator. 2. Pertaining to, involving, or consisting of simony, or the crime of buying or selling ecclesiastical preferment; as, a simoniacal presentation. Simoniacally (si-mō-ni'ak-al-li), adv. In a simoniacal manner; with the guilt or offence of simony. Simonian (si-mo'ni-an), n. A follower of Simonious (si-mo'ni-us), a. Partaking of Simoom (si-möm'), n. [Ar. samúm, from passes. It is called Sirocco in South Italy, Simoon (si-mön'), n. Same as Simoom. Simpai (sim'pi), n. A beautiful little mon- |