Defn: One half of the axis of an
SEMIBARBARIANSem`i*bar*ba"ri*an, a.
Defn: Half barbarous; partially civilized.— n.
Defn: One partly civilized.
SEMIBARBARICSem`i*bar*bar"ic, a.
Defn: Half barbarous or uncivilized; as, semibarbaric display.
SEMIBARBARISMSem`i*bar"ba*rism, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being half barbarous or uncivilized.
SEMIBARBAROUSSem`i*bar"ba*rous, a.
Defn: Half barbarous.
SEMIBREVE Sem"i*breve`, n. Etym: [Pref. semi- + breve: cf. F. semi-breve, It. semibreve.] [Formerly written semibref.] (Mus.)
Defn: A note of half the time or duration of the breve; — now usually called a whole note. It is the longest note in general use.
SEMIBRIEFSem"i*brief`, n. (Mus.)
Defn: A semibreve. [R.]
SEMIBULLSem"i*bull`, n. (R.C.Ch.)
Defn: A bull issued by a pope in the period between his election and coronation.
SEMICALCAREOUSSem`i*cal*ca"re*ous, a.
Defn: Half or partially calcareous; as, a semicalcareous plant.
SEMICALCINEDSem`i*cal*cined", a.
Defn: Half calcined; as, semicalcined iron.
SEMICASTRATESem`i*cas"trate, v. t.
Defn: To deprive of one testicle.— Sem`i*cas*tra"tion,n.
SEMICENTENNIALSem`i*cen*ten"ni*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to half of a century, or a period of fifty years; as, a semicentennial commemoration.
SEMICENTENNIALSem`i*cen*ten"ni*al, n.
Defn: A fiftieth anniversary.
SEMICHAOTICSem`i*cha*ot"ic, a.
Defn: Partially chaotic.
SEMICHORUSSem"i*cho`rus, n. (Mus.)
Defn: A half chorus; a passage to be sung by a selected portion of the voices, as the female voices only, in contrast with the full choir.
SEMI-CHRISTIANIZEDSem`i-Chris"tian*ized, a.
Defn: Half Christianized.
SEMICIRCLESem"i*cir`cle, n.
1. (a) The half of a circle; the part of a circle bounded by its diameter and half of its circumference. (b) A semicircumference.
2. A body in the form of half of a circle, or half of a circumference.
3. An instrument for measuring angles.
SEMICIRCLEDSem"i*cir`cled, a.
Defn: Semicircular. Shak.
SEMICIRCULARSem`i*cir"cu*lar, a.
Defn: Having the form of half of a circle. Addison. Semicircular canals (Anat.), certain canals of the inner ear. See under Ear.
SEMI CIRCUMFERENCESem`i cir*cum"fer*ence, n.
Defn: Half of a circumference.
SEMICIRQUESem"i*cirque, n.
Defn: A semicircular hollow or opening among trees or hills.Wordsworth.
SEMICOLONSem"i*co`lon, n.
Defn: The punctuation mark [;] indicating a separation between parts or members of a sentence more distinct than that marked by a comma.
SEMICOLUMNSem"i*col`umn, n.
Defn: A half column; a column bisected longitudinally, or along its axis.
SEMICOLUMNARSem`i*co*lum"nar, a.
Defn: Like a semicolumn; flat on one side and round on the other; imperfectly columnar.
SEMICOMPACTSem`i*com*pact", a.
Defn: Half compact; imperfectly indurated.
SEMICONSCIOUSSem`i*con"scious, a.
Defn: Half conscious; imperfectly conscious. De Quincey.
SEMICOPESem"i*cope`, n.
Defn: A short cope, or an inferier kind of cope. [Obs.] Chaucer.
SEMI CRUSTACEOUSSem`i crus*ta"ceous, a.
Defn: Half crustaceous; partially crustaceous.
SEMICRYSTALLINESem`i*crys"tal*line, a. (Min.)
Defn: Half crystalline; — said of certain cruptive rocks composed partly of crystalline, partly of amorphous matter.
SEMICUBICALSem`i*cu"bic*al, a. (Math.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the square root of the cube of a quantity. Semicubical parabola, a curve in which the ordinates are proportional to the square roots of the cubes of the abscissas.
SEMICUBIUM; SEMICUPIUM Sem`i*cu"bi*um, Sem`i*cu"pi*um, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. semi half + cupa tub, cask.]
Defn: A half bath, or one that covers only the lewer extremities and the hips; a sitz-bath; a half bath, or hip bath.
SEMICYLINDRIC; SEMICYLYNDRICALSem`i*cy*lin"dric, Sem`i*cy*lyn"dric*al a.
Defn: Half cylindrical.
SEMIDEISTICALSem`i*de*is"tic*al, a.
Defn: Half deisticsl; bordering on deism. S. Miller.
SEMIDEMIQUAVERSem`i*dem"i*qua`ver, n. (Mus.)
Defn: A demisemiquaver; a thirty-second note.
SEMIDETACHEDSem`i*de*tached", a.
Defn: Half detached; partly distinct or separate. Semidetached house, one of two tenements under a single roof, but separated by a party wall. [Eng.]
SEMIDIAMETERSem`i*di*am"e*ter, n. (Math.)
Defn: Half of a diameter; a right line, or the length of a right line, drawn from the center of a circle, a sphere, or other curved figure, to its circumference or periphery; a radius.
SEMIDIAPASONSem`i*di`a*pa"son, n. (Mus.)
Defn: An imperfect octave.
SEMIDIAPENTESem`i*di`a*pen"te, n. (Mus.)
Defn: An imperfect or diminished fifth. Busby.
SEMIDIAPHANEITYSem`i*di`a*pha*ne"i*ty, n.
Defn: Half or imperfect transparency; translucency. [R.] Boyle.
SEMIDIAPHANOUSSem`i*di*aph"a*nous, a.
Defn: Half or imperfectly transparent; translucent. Woodward.
SEMIDIATESSARONSem`i*di`a*tes"sa*ron, n. (Mus.)
Defn: An imperfect or diminished fourth. [R.]
SEMI-DIESELSem`i-Die"sel, a.
Defn: Designating an internal-combustion engine of a type resembling the Diesel engine in using as fuel heavy oil which is injected in a spray just before the end of the compression stroke and is fired without electrical ignition. The fuel is sprayed into an iron box (called a hot bulb or hot pot) opening into the combustion chamber, and heated for ignition by a blast-lamp until the engine is running, when it is, ordinarily, kept red hot by the heat of combustion.
SEMIDITONESem`i*di"tone`, n. Etym: [Pref. semi- + ditone: cf. It. semiditono.Cf. Hemiditone.] (Gr. Mus.)
Defn: A lesser third, having its terms as 6 to 5; a hemiditone. [R.]
SEMIDIURNALSem`i*di*ur"nal, a.
1. Pertaining to, or accomplished in, half a day, or twelve hours; occurring twice every day.
2. Pertaining to, or traversed in, six hours, or in half the time between the rising and setting of a heavenly body; as, a semidiurnal arc.
SEMIDOMESem"i*dome`, n. (Arch.)
Defn: A roof or ceiling covering a semicircular room or recess, or one of nearly that shape, as the apse of a church, a niche, or the like. It is approximately the quarter of a hollow sphere.
SEMIDOUBLESem"i*dou`ble, n. (Eccl.)
Defn: An office or feast celebrated with less solemnity than the double ones. See Double, n., 8.
SEMIDOUBLESem`i*dou"ble, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having the outermost stamens converted into petals, while the inner ones remain perfect; — said of a flower.
SEMIFABLESem"i*fa`ble, n.
Defn: That which is part fable and part truth; a mixture of truth and fable. De Quincey.
SEMIFLEXEDSem"i*flexed`, a.
Defn: Half bent.
SEMIFLORETSem"i*flo`ret, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Semifloscule.
SEMIFLOSCULARSem`i*flos"cu*lar, a.
Defn: Semiflosculous.
SEMIFLOSCULESem"i*flos`cule, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A floscule, or florest, with its corolla prolonged into a strap-shaped petal; — called also semifloret.
SEMIFLOSCULOUSSem`i*flos"cu*lous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having all the florets ligulate, as in the dandelion.
SEMIFLUIDSem`i*flu"id, a.
Defn: Imperfectly fluid.— n.
Defn: A semifluid substance.
SEMIFORMSem"i*form`, n.
Defn: A half form; an imperfect form.
SEMIFORMEDSem"i*formed`, a.
Defn: Half formed; imperfectly formed; as, semiformed crystals.
SEMIGLUTINSem`i*glu"tin, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A peptonelike body, insoluble in alcohol, formed by boiling collagen or gelatin for a long time in water. Hemicollin, a like body, is also formed at the same time, and differs from semiglutin by being partly soluble in alcohol.
SEMIHISTORICALSem`i*his*tor"i*cal, a.
Defn: Half or party historical. Sir G. C. Lewis.
SEMIHORALSem`i*ho"ral, a.
Defn: Half-hourly.
SEMIINDURATEDSem`i*in"du*ra`ted, a.
Defn: Imperfectly indurated or hardened.
SEMILAPIDIFIEDSem`i*la*pid"i*fied, a.
Defn: Imperfectly changed into stone. Kirwan.
SEMILENSSem"i*lens`, n. (Opt.)
Defn: The half of a lens divided along a plane passing through its axis.
SEMILENTICULARSem`i*len*tic"u*lar, a.
Defn: Half lenticular or convex; imperfectly resembling a lens.Kirwan.
SEMILIGNEOUSSem`i*lig"ne*ous, a.
Defn: Half or partially ligneous, as a stem partly woody and partly herbaceous.
SEMILIQUIDSem`i*liq"uid, a.
Defn: Half liquid; semifluid.
SEMILIQUIDITYSem`i*li*quid"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being semiliquid; partial liquidity.
SEMILOGICALSem`i*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Half logical; partly logical; said of fallacies. Whately.
SEMILORSem"i*lor, n. Etym: [Cf. G. similor, semilor.]
Defn: A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc. See Simplor.
SEMILUNARSem`i*lu"nar, a.
Defn: Shaped like a half moon. Semilunar bone (Anat.), a bone of the carpus; the lunar. See Lunar, n. — Semilunar, or Sigmoid, valves (Anat.), the valves at the beginning of the aorta and of the pulmonary artery which prevent the blood from flowing back into the ventricle.
SEMILUNARSem`i*lu"nar, n. (Anat.)
Defn: The semilunar bone.
SEMILUNARYSem`i*lu"na*ry, a.
Defn: Semilunar.
SEMILUNATESem`i*lu"nate, a.
Defn: Semilunar.
SEMILUNESem"i*lune`, n. (Geom.)
Defn: The half of a lune.
SEMIMETALSem"i*met`al, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An element possessing metallic properties in an inferior degree and not malleable, as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, molybdenum, uranium, etc. [Obs.]
SEMIMETALLICSem`i*me*tal"lic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a semimetal; possessing metallic properties in an inferior degree; resembling metal.
SEMIMONTHLYSem`i*month"ly a.
Defn: Coming or made twice in a month; as, semimonthly magazine; a semimonthly payment. — n.
Defn: Something done or made every half month; esp., a semimonthly periodical. — adv.
Defn: In a semimonthly manner; at intervals of half a month.
SEMIMUTESem`i*mute", a.
Defn: Having the faculty of speech but imperfectly developed or partially lost.
SEMIMUTESem"i*mute`, n.
Defn: A semimute person.
SEMINAL Sem"i*nal, a. Etym: [L. seminalis, fr. semen, seminis, seed, akin to serere to sow: cf. F. seminal. See Sow to scatter seed.]
1. Pertaining to, containing, or consisting of, seed or semen; as, the seminal fluid.
2. Contained in seed; holding the relation of seed, source, or first principle; holding the first place in a series of developed results or consequents; germinal; radical; primary; original; as, seminal principles of generation; seminal virtue. The idea of God is, beyond all question or comparison, the one great seminal principle. Hare. Seminal leaf (Bot.), a seed leaf, or cotyleden. — Seminal receptacle. (Zoöl.) Same as Spermatheca.
SEMINALSem"i*nal, n.
Defn: A seed. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
SEMINALITYSem`i*nal"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being seminal. Sir T. Browne.
SEMINARSem`i*nar", n. [G. See Seminary, n.]
Defn: A group of students engaged, under the guidance of an instructor, in original research in a particular line of study, and in the exposition of the results by theses, lectures, etc.; — called also seminary.
SEMINARIAN; SEMINARISTSem`i*na"ri*an, Sem"i*na*rist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. séminariste.]
Defn: A member of, or one educated in, a seminary; specifically, an ecclesiastic educated for the priesthood in a seminary.
SEMINARY Sem"i*na*ry, n.; pl. Seminaries. Etym: [L. seminarium, fr. seminarius belonging to seed, fr. semon, seminis, seed. See Seminal.]
1. A piece of ground where seed is sown for producing plants for transplantation; a nursery; a seed plat. [Obs.] Mortimer. But if you draw them [seedling] only for the thinning of your seminary, prick them into some empty beds. Evelyn.
2. Hence, the place or original stock whence anything is brought or produced. [Obs.] Woodward.
3. A place of education, as a scool of a high grade, an academy, college, or university.
4. Seminal state. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
5. Fig.: A seed bed; a source. [Obs.] Harvey.
6. A Roman Catholic priest educated in a foreign seminary; a seminarist. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.
SEMINARYSem"i*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. seminarius.]
Defn: Belonging to seed; seminal. [R.]
SEMINATESem"i*nate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seminated; p. pr. & vb. n.Seminating.] Etym: [L. seminatus, p. p. of seminare to sow, fr.semen, seminis, seed.]
Defn: To sow; to spread; to propagate. [R.] Waterhouse.
SEMINATIONSem`i*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. seminatio: cf. F. sémination.]
1. The act of sowing or spreading. [R.]
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Natural dispersion of seeds. Martyn.
SEMINEDSem"ined, a. Etym: [See Semen.]
Defn: Thickly covered or sown, as with seeds. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
SEMINIFEROUSSem`i*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. semen, semenis, seed -ferous.] (Biol.)
Defn: Seed-bearing; producing seed; pertaining to, or connected with, the formation of semen; as, seminiferous cells or vesicles.
SEMINIFIC; SEMINIFICAL Sem`i*nif"ic, Sem`i*nif"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. semen, seminis, seed + facere to make.] (Biol.)
Defn: Forming or producing seed, or the male generative product of animals or of plants.
SEMINIFICATIONSem`i*ni*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: Propagation from seed. [R.] Sir M. Hale.
SEMINISTSem"i*nist, n. (Biol.)
Defn: A believer in the old theory that the newly created being is formed by the admixture of the seed of the male with the supposed seed of the female.
SEMINOLESSem"i*noles, n. pl.; sing. Seminole (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians who formerly occupied Florida, where some of them still remain. They belonged to the Creek Confideration.
SEMINOSESem"i*nose`, n. Etym: [L. semen seed + glucose.] (Chem.)
Defn: A carbohydrate of the glucose group found in the thickened endosperm of certain seeds, and extracted as yellow sirup having a sweetish-bitter taste.
SEMINUDESem`i*nude", a.
Defn: Partially nude; half naked.
SEMINYMPHSem"i*nymph`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The pupa of insects which undergo only a slight change in passing to the imago state.
SEMIOCCASIONALLYSem`i*oc*ca"sion*al*ly, adv.
Defn: Once in a while; on rare occasions. [Colloq. U. S.]
SEMIOFFICIALSem`i*of*fi"cial, a.
Defn: Half official; having some official authority or importance; as, a semiofficial statement. — Sem`i*of*fi"cial*ly, adv.
SEMIOGRAPHY; SEMIOLOGY; SEMIOLOGICALSe`mi*og"ra*phy, Se`mi*ol"o*gy, Se`mi*o*log"ic*al.
Defn: Same as Semeiography, Semeiology, Semeiological.
SEMIOPACOUSSem`i*o*pa"cous, a.
Defn: Semiopaque.
SEMIOPALSem"i*o`pal, n. (Min.)
Defn: A variety of opal not possessing opalescence.
SEMIOPAQUESem`i*o*paque", a.
Defn: Half opaque; only half transparent.
SEMIORBICULARSem`i*or*bic"u*lar, a.
Defn: Having the shape of a half orb or sphere.
SEMIOTICSe`mi*ot"ic, a.
Defn: Same as Semeiotic.
SEMIOTICSSe`mi*ot"ics, n.
Defn: Same as Semeiotics.
SEMIOVALSem`i*o"val, a.
Defn: Half oval.
SEMIOVATESem`i*o"vate, a.
Defn: Half ovate.
SEMIOXYGENATEDSem`i*ox"y*gen*a`ted, a.
Defn: Combined with oxygen only in part. Kirwan.
SEMIPAGANSem`i*pa"gan, a.
Defn: Half pagan.
SEMIPALMATE; SEMIPALMATEDSem`i*pal"mate, Sem`i*pal"ma*ted, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the anterior toes joined only part way down with a web; half-webbed; as, a semipalmate bird or foot. See Illust. k under Aves.
SEMIPARABOLASem`i*pa*rab"o*la, n. (Geom.)
Defn: One branch of a parabola, being terminated at the principal vertex of the curve.
SEMIPED Sem"i*ped, n. Etym: [L. semipes, semipedis; pref. semi- half + pes, pedis, a foot.] (Pros.)
Defn: A half foot in poetry.
SEMIPEDALSe*mip"e*dal, a. (Pres.)
Defn: Containing a half foot.
SEMI-PELAGIANSem`i-Pe*la"gi*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: A follower of John Cassianus, a French monk (died about 448), who modified the doctrines of Pelagius, by denying human merit, and maintaining the necessity of the Spirit's influence, while, on the other hand, he rejected the Augustinian doctrines of election, the inability of man to do good, and the certain perseverance of the saints.
SEMI-PELAGIANSem`i-Pe*la"gi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Semi-Pelagians, or their tenets.
SEMI-PELAGIANISMSem`i-Pe*la"gi*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines or tenets of the Semi-Pelagians.
SEMIPELLUCIDSem`i*pel*lu"cid, a.
Defn: Half clear, or imperfectly transparent; as, a semipellucid gem.
SEMIPELLUCIDITYSem`i*pel`lu*cid"i*ty, n.
Defn: The qualiti or state of being imperfectly transparent.
SEMIPENNIFORMSem`i*pen"ni*form, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Half or partially penniform; as, a semipenniform muscle.
SEMIPERMANENTSem`i*per"ma*nent, n.
Defn: Half or partly permanent.
SEMIPERSPICUOUSSem`i*per*spic"u*ous, a.
Defn: Half transparent; imperfectly clear; semipellucid.
SEMIPHLOGISTICATEDSem`i*phlo*gis"ti*ca`ted, a. (Old Chem.)
Defn: Partially impregnated with phlogiston.
SEMIPLUMESem"i*plume`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A feather which has a plumelike web, with the shaft of an ordinary feather.
SEMIPRECIOUSSem`i*pre"cious, a.
Defn: Somewhat precious; as, semiprecious stones or metals.
SEMIPROOFSem"i*proof`, n.
Defn: Half proof; evidence from the testimony of a single witness.[Obs.] Bailey.
SEMI PUPASem`i pu"pa, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The young of an insect in a stage between the larva and pupa.
SEMIQUADRATE; SEMIQUARTILESem"i*quad`rate, Sem"i*quar"tile, n. (Astrol.)
Defn: An aspect of the planets when distant from each other the half of a quadrant, or forty-five degrees, or one sign and a half. Hutton.
SEMIQUAVERSem"i*qua`ver, n. (Mus.)
Defn: A note of half the duration of the quaver; — now usually called a sixsteenth note.
SEMIQUINTILESem"i*quin`tile, n. (Astrol.)
Defn: An aspect of the planets when distant from each other half of the quintile, or thirty-six degrees.
SEMIRADIALSem`i*ra"di*al, a.
Defn: Half radial.
SEMIRADIAL ENGINESemiradial engine. (Mach.)
Defn: See Radial engine, above.
SEMIRECONDITESem`i*rec"on*dite, a. (Zool.)
Defn: Half hidden or half covered; said of the head of an insect when half covered by the shield of the thorax.
SEMIRINGSem"i*ring`, n. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the incomplete rings of the upper part of the bronchial tubes of most birds. The semerings form an essential part of the syrinx, or musical organ, of singing birds.
SEMISAVAGESem`i*sav"age, a.
Defn: Half savage.
SEMISAVAGESem"i*sav`age, n.
Defn: One who is half savage.
SEMI-SAXONSem`i-Sax"on, a.
Defn: Half Saxon; — specifically applied to the language intermediate between Saxon and English, belonging to the period 1150- 1250.
SEMISEXTILESem"i*sex"tile, n. (Astrol.)
Defn: An aspect of the planets when they are distant from each other the twelfth part of a circle, or thirty degrees. Hutton.
SEMISOLIDSem`i*sol"id, a.
Defn: Partially solid.
SEMISOUNSem"i*soun (-soon), n.
Defn: A half sound; a low tone. [Obs.] "Soft he cougheth with a semisoun." Chaucer.
SEMISPHERIC; SEMISPHERICALSem`i*spher"ic, Sem`i*spher"ic*al, a.
Defn: Having the figure of a half sphere. Kirwan.
SEMISPHEROIDALSem`i*sphe*roid"al, a.
Defn: Formed like a half spheroid.
SEMISTEELSem"i*steel` (, n.
Defn: Puddled steel. [U. S. ]
SEMITASem"i*ta, n.; pl. Semitæ. Etym: [L., a path.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A fasciole of a spatangoid sea urchin.
SEMITANGENTSem"i*tan`gent, n. (Geom.)
Defn: The tangent of half an arc.
SEMITESem"ite, n.
Defn: One belonging to the Semitic race. Also used adjectively.[Written also Shemite.]
SEMITERETESem`i*te*rete", a. (Nat. Hist.)
Defn: Half terete.
SEMITERTIANSem`i*ter"tian, a. (Med.)
Defn: Having the characteristics of both a tertian and a quotidian intermittent. — n.
Defn: An intermittent combining the characteristics of a tertian and a quotidian.
SEMITICSem*it"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Shem or his descendants; belonging to that division of the Caucasian race which includes the Arabs, Jews, and related races. [Written also Shemitic.] Semitic language, a name used to designate a group of Asiatic and African languages, some living and some dead, namely: Hebrew and Phoenician, Aramaic, Assyrian, Arabic, Ethiopic (Geez and Ampharic). Encyc. Brit.
SEMITISMSem"i*tism, n.
Defn: A Semitic idiom; a word of Semitic origin. [Written alsoShemitism.]
SEMITONESem"i*tone, n. Etym: [Pref. semi- + tone. CF. Hemitone.] (Mus.)
Defn: Half a tone; — the name commonly applied to the smaller intervals of the diatonic scale.
Note: There is an impropriety in the use of this word, and half step is now preferred. See Tone. J. S. Dwight.
SEMITONICSem`i*ton"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a semitone; consisting of a semitone, or of semitones.
SEMITONTINESem`i*ton*tine", a. (LIfe Insurance)
Defn: Lit., half-tontine; — used to designate a form of tontine life insurance. See Tontine insurance. —Sem`i*ton*tine", n.
SEMITRANSEPTSem"i*tran`sept, n. (Arch.)
Defn: The half of a transept; as, the north semitransept of a church.
SEMITRANSLUCENTSem`i*trans*lu"cent, a.
Defn: Slightly clear; transmitting light in a slight degree.
SEMITRANSPARENCYSem`i*trans*par"en*cy, n.
Defn: Imperfect or partial transparency.
SEMITRANSPARENTSem`i*trans*par"ent, a.
Defn: Half or imperfectly transparent.
SEMIVERTICILLATESem`i*ver*tic"il*late, ( a.
Defn: Partially verticillate.
SEMIVIFSem"i*vif, a. Etym: [L. semivivus.]
Defn: Only half alive. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
SEMIVITREOUSSem`i*vit"re*ous, a.
Defn: Partially vitreous.
SEMIVITRIFICATIONSem`i*vit"ri*fi*ca"tion, n.
1. The quality or state of being semivitrified.
2. A substance imperfectly vitrified.
SEMIVITRIFIEDSem`i*vit"ri*fied, a.
Defn: Half or imperfectly vitrified; partially converted into glass.
SEMIVOCALSem`i*vo"cal, a. (Phon.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a semivowel; half cocal; imperfectly sounding.
SEMIVOWEL Sem"i*vow`el, n. (Phon.) (a) A sound intermediate between a vowel and a consonant, or partaking of the nature of both, as in the English w and y. (b) The sign or letter representing such a sound.
SEMIWEEKLYSem`i*week"ly, a.
Defn: Coming, or made, or done, once every half week; as, a semiweekly newspaper; a semiweekly trip. — n.
Defn: That which comes or happens once every half week, esp. a semiweekly periodical. — adv.
Defn: At intervals of half a week each.
SEMOLELLASem`o*lel"la, n. Etym: [It.]
Defn: See Semolina.
SEMOLINA Sem`o*li"na, n. Etym: [It. semolino, from semola bran, L. simila the finest wheat flour. Cf. Semoule, Simnel.]
Defn: The fine, hard parts of wheat, rounded by the attrition of the millstones, — used in cookery.
SEMOLINOSem`o*li"no, n. Etym: [It.]
Defn: Same as Semolina.
SEMOULESe*moule", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Same as Semolina.
SEMPERVIRENT Sem`per*vi"rent, a. Etym: [L. semper always + virens, p. pr. of virere to be green.]
Defn: Always fresh; evergreen. [R.] Smart.
SEMPERVIVE Sem"per*vive, n. Etym: [L. semperviva, sempervivum, fr. sempervivus ever-living; semper always + vivus living.] (Bot.)
Defn: The houseleek.
SEMPERVIVUMSem`per*vi"vum, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of fleshy-leaved plants, of which the houseleek(Sempervivum tectorum) is the commonest species.
SEMPITERNAL Sem`pi*ter"nal, a. Etym: [L. sempiternus, fr. semper always: cf. F. sempiternel.]
1. Of neverending duration; everlasting; endless; having beginning, but no end. Sir M. Hale.
2. Without beginning or end; eternal. Blackmore.
SEMPITERNESem"pi*terne, a.
Defn: Sempiternal. [Obs.]
SEMPITERNITYSem`pi*ter"ni*ty, n. Etym: [L. sempiternitas.]
Defn: Future duration without end; the relation or state of being sempiternal. Sir M. Hale.
SEMPRESem"pre, adv. Etym: [It., fr. L. semper.] (Mus.)
Defn: Always; throughout; as, sempre piano, always soft.
SEMPSTERSemp"ster, n.
Defn: A seamster. [Obs.]
SEMPSTRESSSemp"stress, n.
Defn: A seamstress.Two hundred sepstress were employed to make me shirts. Swift.
SEMPSTRESSYSemp"stress*y, n.
Defn: Seamstressy.
SEMSTERSem"ster, n.
Defn: A seamster. [Obs.]
SEMUNCIASe*mun"ci*a, n. Etym: [L., fr. semi half + uncia ounce.] (Rom.Antiq.)
Defn: A Roman coin equivalent to one twenty-fourth part of a Roman pound.
SENSen, n.
Defn: A Japanese coin, worth about one half of a cent.
SENSen, adv., prep., & conj. Etym: [See Since.]
Defn: Since. [Obs.]
SENARYSen"a*ry, a. Etym: [L. senarius, fr. seni six each, fr. sex six. SeeSix.]
Defn: Of six; belonging to six; containing six. Dr. H. More.
SENATE Sen"ate, n. Etym: [OE. senat, F. sénat, fr. L. senatus, fr. senex, gen. senis, old, an old man. See Senior, Sir.]
1. An assembly or council having the highest deliberative and legislative functions. Specifically: (a) (Anc. Rom.)
Defn: A body of elders appointed or elected from among the nobles of the nation, and having supreme legislative authority. The senate was thus the medium through which all affairs of the whole government had to pass. Dr. W. Smith.
(b) The upper and less numerous branch of a legislature in various countries, as in France, in the United States, in most of the separate States of the United States, and in some Swiss cantons. (c) In general, a legislative body; a state council; the legislative department of government.
2. The governing body of the Universities of Cambridge and London. [Eng.]
3. In some American colleges, a council of elected students, presided over by the president of the college, to which are referred cases of discipline and matters of general concern affecting the students. [U. S.] Senate chamber, a room where a senate meets when it transacts business. — Senate house, a house where a senate meets when it transacts business.
SENATOR Sen"a*tor, n. Etym: [OE. senatour, OF. senatour, F. sénateur, fr. L. senator.]
1. A member of a senate. The duke and senators of Venice greet you. Shak.
Note: In the United States, each State sends two senators for a term of six years to the national Congress.
2. (O.Eng.Law)
Defn: A member of the king's council; a king's councilor. Burrill.
SENATORIALSen`a*to"ri*al, a. Etym: [F. sénatorial, or L. senatorius.]
1. Of or pertaining to a senator, or a senate; becoming to a senator, or a senate; as, senatorial duties; senatorial dignity.
2. Entitled to elect a senator, or by senators; as, the senatorial districts of a State. [U. S.]
SENATORIALLYSen`a*to"ri*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a senatorial manner.
SENATORIANSen`a*to"ri*an, a.
Defn: Senatorial. [R.] De Quincey.
SENATORIOUSSen`a*to"ri*ous, a.
Defn: Senatorial. [Obs.]
SENATORSHIPSen"a*tor*ship, n.
Defn: The office or dignity of a senator. Carew.
SENATUSCONSULTSe*na`tus*con*sult", n. Etym: [L. senatus consultum.]
Defn: A decree of the Roman senate.
SEND Send, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sent (; p. pr. & vb. n. Sending.] Etym: [AS. sendan; akin to OS. sendian, D. zenden, G. senden, OHG. senten, Icel. senda, Sw. sända, Dan. sende, Goth. sandjan, and to Goth. sinp a time (properly, a going), gasinpa companion, OHG. sind journey, AS. si, Icel. sinni a walk, journey, a time. W. hynt a way, journey, OIr. s. Cf. Sense.]
1. To cause to go in any manner; to dispatch; to commission or direct to go; as, to send a messenger. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. Jer. xxiii. 21. I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. John viii. 42. Servants, sent on messages, stay out somewhat longer than the message requires. Swift.
2. To give motion to; to cause to be borne or carried; to procure the going, transmission, or delivery of; as, to send a message. He . . . sent letters by posts on horseback. Esther viii. 10. O send out thy light an thy truth; let them lead me. Ps. xliii. 3.
3. To emit; to impel; to cast; to throw; to hurl; as, to send a ball, an arrow, or the like.
4. To cause to be or to happen; to bestow; to inflict; to grant; — sometimes followed by a dependent proposition. "God send him well!" Shak. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke. Deut. xxviii. 20. And sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matt. v. 45. God send your mission may bring back peace. Sir W. Scott.
SENDSend, v. i.
1. To dispatch an agent or messenger to convey a message, or to do anerrand.See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head 2Kings vi. 32.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To pitch; as, the ship sends forward so violently as to endanger her masts. Totten. To send for, to request or require by message to come or be brought.
SENDSend, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The impulse of a wave by which a vessel is carried bodily.[Written also scend.] W. C. Russell. "The send of the sea".Longfellow.
SENDALSen"dal, n. Etym: [OF. cendal (cf. Pr. & Sp. cendal, It. zendale),LL. cendallum, Gr.
Defn: A light thin stuff of silk. [Written also cendal, and sendal.]Chaucer.Wore she not a veil of twisted sendal embroidered with silver Sir W.Scott.
SENDERSend"er, n.
Defn: One who sends. Shak.
SENECASSen"e*cas, n. pl.; sing. Seneca (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited a part of Western New York. This tribe was the most numerous and most warlike of the Five Nations. Seneca grass(Bot.), holy grass. See under Holy. — Seneca eil, petroleum or naphtha. — Seneca root, or Seneca snakeroot (Bot.), the rootstock of an American species of milkworth (Polygala Senega) having an aromatic but bitter taste. It is often used medicinally as an expectorant and diuretic, and, in large doses, as an emetic and cathartic. [Written also Senega root, and Seneka root.]
SENECIO Se*ne"ci*o, n. Etym: [L., groundsel, lit., an old man. So called in allusion to the hoary appearance of the pappus.] (Bot.)
Defn: A very large genus of composite plants including the groundsel and the golden ragwort.
SENECTITUDESe*nec"ti*tude, n. Etym: [L. senectus aged, old age, senex old.]
Defn: Old age. [R.] "Senectitude, weary of its toils." H. Miller.
SENEGASen"e*ga, n. (Med.)
Defn: Seneca root.
SENEGALSen"e*gal, n.
Defn: Gum senegal. See under Gum.
SENEGINSen"e*gin, n. (Med. Chem.)
Defn: A substance extracted from the rootstock of the Polygala Senega(Seneca root), and probably identical with polygalic acid.
SENESCENCESe*nes"cence, n. Etym: [See Senescent.]
Defn: The state of growing old; decay by time.
SENESCENT Se*nes"cent, a. Etym: [L. senescent, p. pr. of senescere to grow old, incho. fr. senere to be old.]
Defn: Growing old; decaying with the lapse of time. "The night was senescent." Poe. "With too senescent air." Lowell.
SENESCHALSen"es*chal, n. Etym: [OF. seneschal, LL. seniscalcus, of Teutonicorigin; cf. Goth. sineigs old, skalks, OHG. scalch, AS. scealc. Cf.Senior, Marshal.]
Defn: An officer in the houses of princes and dignitaries, in the Middle Ages, who had the superintendence of feasts and domestic ceremonies; a steward. Sometimes the seneschal had the dispensing of justice, and was given high military commands. Then marshaled feast Served up in hall with sewers and seneschale. Milton. Philip Augustus, by a famous ordinance in 1190, first established royal courts of justice, held by the officers called baitiffs, or seneschals, who acted as the king's lieutenants in his demains. Hallam.
SENESCHALSHIPSen"es*chal*ship, n.
Defn: The office, dignity, or jurisdiction of a seneschal.
SENGESenge, v. t.
Defn: To singe. [Obs.] Chaucer.
SENGREEN Sen"green, n.Etym: [AS. singr, properly, evergreen, fr. sin (in composition) always + grëne green; akin to OHG. sin- ever, L. semper.] (Bot.)
Defn: The houseleek.
SENILE Se"nile, a. Etym: [L. senilis, from senex, gen. senis, old, an old man: cf. F. sénile. See Senior.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to old age; proceeding from, or characteristic of, old age; affected with the infirmities of old age; as, senile weakness. "Senile maturity of judgment." Boyle. Senile gangrene (Med.), a form of gangrene occuring particularly in old people, and caused usually by insufficient blood supply due to degeneration of the walls of the smaller arteries.
SENILITYSe*nil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. sénilité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being senile; old age.
SENIORSen"ior, a. Etym: [L. senior, compar. of senex, gen. senis, old. SeeSir.]
1. More advanced than another in age; prior in age; elder; hence, more advanced in dignity, rank, or office; superior; as, senior member; senior counsel.
2. Belonging to the final year of the regular course in American colleges, or in professional schools.
SENIORSen"ior, n.
1. A person who is older than another; one more advanced in life.
2. One older in office, or whose entrance upon office was anterior to that of another; one prior in grade.
3. An aged person; an older. Dryden. Each village senior paused to scan, And speak the lovely caravan. Emerson.
4. One in the fourth or final year of his collegiate course at an American college; — originally called senior sophister; also, one in the last year of the course at a professional schools or at a seminary.
SENIORITYSen*ior"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being senior.
SENIORIZESen"ior*ize, v. i.
Defn: To exercise authority; to rule; to lord it. [R.] Fairfax.
SENIORYSen"ior*y, n.
Defn: Seniority. [Obs.] Shak.
SENNA Sen"na, n. Etym: [Cf. It. & Sp. sena, Pg. sene, F. séné; all fr. Ar. sana.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: The leaves of several leguminous plants of the genus Cassia. (C. acutifolia. C. angustifolia, etc.). They constitute a valuable but nauseous cathartic medicine.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The plants themselves, native to the East, but now cultivated largely in the south of Europe and in the West Indies. Bladder senna. (Bot.) See under Bladder. — Wild senna (Bot.), the Cassia Marilandica, growing in the United States, the leaves of which are used medicinally, like those of the officinal senna.
SENNACHYSen"na*chy, n.
Defn: See Seannachie.
SENNET Sen"net, n. Etym: [Properly, a sign given for the entrance or exit of actors, from OF. sinet, signet, dim. of signe. See Signet.]
Defn: A signal call on a trumpet or cornet for entrance or exit on the stage. [Obs.]
SENNETSen"net, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The barracuda.
SENNIGHTSen"night, n. Etym: [Contr. fr. sevennight.]
Defn: The space of seven nights and days; a week. [Written also se'nnight.] [Archaic.] Shak. Tennyson.
SENNITSen"nit, n. Etym: [Seven + knit.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: A braided cord or fabric formed by plaiting together rope yarns or other small stuff.
2. Plaited straw or palm leaves for making hats.
SENOCULARSe*noc"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. seni six each (fr. sex six) + oculus eye.]
Defn: Having six eyes. [R.] Derham.
SENONIANSe*no"ni*an, a. Etym: [F. sénonien, from the district of Sénonais, inFrance.] (Geol.)
Defn: In european geology, a name given to the middle division of theUpper Cretaceous formation.
SENOR; SENHORSe*ñor", n. Etym: [Sp. Cf. Senior.]
Defn: A Spanish title of courtesy corresponding to the English Mr. orSir; also, a gentleman.
SENORA; SENHORASe*ño"ra, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A Spanish title of courtesy given to a lady; Mrs.; Madam; also, a lady.
SENORITA; SENHORITASe`ño*ri"ta, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A Spanish title of courtesy given to a young lady; Miss; also, a young lady.
SENSSens, adv. Etym: [See Since.]
Defn: Since. [Obs.] Spenser.
SENSATESen"sate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sensated; p. pr. & vb. n. Sensating.]Etym: [See Sensated.]
Defn: To feel or apprehend more or less distinctly through a sense, or the senses; as, to sensate light, or an odor. As those of the one are sensated by the ear, so those of the other are by the eye. R. Hooke.
SENSATE; SENSATED Sen"sate, Sen"sa*ted, a. Etym: [L. sensatus gifted with sense, intelligent, fr. sensus sense. See Sense.]
Defn: Felt or apprehended through a sense, or the senses. [R.]Baxter.
SENSATIONSen*sa"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. sensation. See Sensate.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: An impression, or the consciousness of an impression, made upon the central nervous organ, through the medium of a sensory or afferent nerve or one of the organs of sense; a feeling, or state of consciousness, whether agreeable or disagreeable, produced either by an external object (stimulus), or by some change in the internal state of the body. Perception is only a special kind of knowledge, and sensation a special kind of feeling. . . . Knowledge and feeling, perception and sensation, though always coexistent, are always in the inverse ratio of each other. Sir W. Hamilton.
2. A purely spiritual or psychical affection; agreeable or disagreeable feelings occasioned by objects that are not corporeal or material.
3. A state of excited interest or feeling, or that which causes it. The sensation caused by the appearance of that work is still remembered by many. Brougham.
Syn. — Perception. — Sensation, Perseption. The distinction between these words, when used in mental philosophy, may be thus stated; if I simply smell a rose, I have a sensation; if I refer that smell to the external object which occasioned it, I have a perception. Thus, the former is mere feeling, without the idea of an object; the latter is the mind's apprehension of some external object as occasioning that feeling. "Sensation properly expresses that change in the state of the mind which is produced by an impression upon an organ of sense (of which change we can conceive the mind to be conscious, without any knowledge of external objects). Perception, on the other hand, expresses the knowledge or the intimations we obtain by means of our sensations concerning the qualities of matter, and consequently involves, in every instance, the notion of externality, or outness, which it is necessary to exclude in order to seize the precise import of the word sensation." Fleming.
SENSATIONALSen*sa"tion*al, a.
1. Of or pertaining to sensation; as, sensational nerves.
2. Of or pertaining to sensationalism, or the doctrine that sensation is the sole origin of knowledge.
3. Suited or intended to excite temporarily great interest or emotion; melodramatic; emotional; as, sensational plays or novels; sensational preaching; sensational journalism; a sensational report.
SENSATIONALISMSen*sa"tion*al*ism, n.
1. (Metaph.)
Defn: The doctrine held by Condillac, and by some ascribed to Locke, that our ideas originate solely in sensation, and consist of sensations transformed; sensualism; — opposed to intuitionalism, and rationalism.
2. The practice or methods of sensational writing or speaking; as, the sensationalism of a novel.
SENSATIONALISTSen*sa"tion*al*ist, n.
1. (Metaph.)
Defn: An advocate of, or believer in, philosophical sensationalism.
2. One who practices sensational writing or speaking.
SENSE Sense, n. Etym: [L. sensus, from sentire, sensum, to perceive, to feel, from the same root as E. send; cf. OHG. sin sense, mind, sinnan to go, to journey, G. sinnen to meditate, to think: cf. F. sens. For the change of meaning cf. See, v. t. See Send, and cf. Assent, Consent, Scent, v. t., Sentence, Sentient.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: A faculty, possessed by animals, of perceiving external objects by means of impressions made upon certain organs (sensory or sense organs) of the body, or of perceiving changes in the condition of the body; as, the senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. See Muscular sense, under Muscular, and Temperature sense, under Temperature. Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep. Shak. What surmounts the reach Of human sense I shall delineate. Milton. The traitor Sense recalls The soaring soul from rest. Keble.
2. Perception by the sensory organs of the body; sensation; sensibility; feeling. In a living creature, though never so great, the sense and the affects of any one part of the body instantly make a transcursion through the whole. Bacon.
3. Perception through the intellect; apprehension; recognition; understanding; discernment; appreciation. This Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover. Sir P. Sidney. High disdain from sense of injured merit. Milton.
4. Sound perception and reasoning; correct judgment; good mental capacity; understanding; also, that which is sound, true, or reasonable; rational meaning. "He speaks sense." Shak. He raves; his words are loose As heaps of sand, and scattering wide from sense. Dryden.
5. That which is felt or is held as a sentiment, view, or opinion; judgment; notion; opinion. I speak my private but impartial sense With freedom. Roscommon. The municipal council of the city had ceased to speak the sense of the citizens. Macaulay.
6. Meaning; import; signification; as, the true sense of words or phrases; the sense of a remark. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense. Neh. viii. 8. I think 't was in another sense. Shak.
7. Moral perception or appreciation. Some are so hardened in wickedness as to have no sense of the most friendly offices. L' Estrange.
8. (Geom.)
Defn: One of two opposite directions in which a line, surface, or volume, may be supposed to be described by the motion of a point, line, or surface. Common sense, according to Sir W. Hamilton: (a) "The complement of those cognitions or convictions which we receive from nature, which all men possess in common, and by which they test the truth of knowledge and the morality of actions." (b) "The faculty of first principles." These two are the philosophical significations. (c) "Such ordinary complement of intelligence, that,if a person be deficient therein, he is accounted mad or foolish." (d) When the substantive is emphasized: "Native practical intelligence, natural prudence, mother wit, tact in behavior, acuteness in the observation of character, in contrast to habits of acquired learning or of speculation." — Moral sense. See under Moral, (a). — The inner, or internal, sense, capacity of the mind to be aware of its own states; consciousness; reflection. "This source of ideas every man has wholly in himself, and though it be not sense, as having nothing to do with external objects, yet it is very like it, and might properly enough be called internal sense." Locke. — Sense capsule (Anat.), one of the cartilaginous or bony cavities which inclose, more or less completely, the organs of smell, sight, and hearing. — Sense organ (Physiol.), a specially irritable mechanism by which some one natural force or form of energy is enabled to excite sensory nerves; as the eye, ear, an end bulb or tactile corpuscle, etc. — Sense organule (Anat.), one of the modified epithelial cells in or near which the fibers of the sensory nerves terminate.
Syn. — Understanding; reason. — Sense, Understanding, Reason. Some philosophers have given a technical signification to these terms, which may here be stated. Sense is the mind's acting in the direct cognition either of material objects or of its own mental states. In the first case it is called the outer, in the second the inner, sense. Understanding is the logical faculty, i. e., the power of apprehending under general conceptions, or the power of classifying, arranging, and making deductions. Reason is the power of apprehending those first or fundamental truths or principles which are the conditions of all real and scientific knowledge, and which control the mind in all its processes of investigation and deduction. These distinctions are given, not as established, but simply because they often occur in writers of the present day.
SENSESense, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sensed; p. pr. & vb. n. Sensing.]
Defn: To perceive by the senses; to recognize. [Obs. or Colloq.] Is he sure that objects are not otherwise sensed by others than they are by him Glanvill.
SENSEFULSense"ful, a.
Defn: Full of sense, meaning, or reason; reasonable; judicious. [R.]"Senseful speech." Spenser. "Men, otherwise senseful and ingenious."Norris.
SENSELESSSense"less, a.
Defn: Destitute of, deficient in, or contrary to, sense; withoutsensibility or feeling; unconscious; stupid; foolish; unwise;unreasonable.You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things. Shak.The ears are senseless that should give us hearing. Shak.The senseless grave feels not your pious sorrows. Rowe.They were a senseless, stupid race. Swift.They would repent this their senseless perverseness when it would betoo late. Clarendon.—- Sense"less*ly, adv.— Sense"less*ness, n.
SENSIBILITYSen`si*bil"i*ty, n.; pl. Sensibilities. Etym: [Cf. F. sensibilité,LL. sensibilitas.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: The quality or state of being sensible, or capable of sensation; capacity to feel or perceive.
2. The capacity of emotion or feeling, as distinguished from the intellect and the will; peculiar susceptibility of impression, pleasurable or painful; delicacy of feeling; quick emotion or sympathy; as, sensibility to pleasure or pain; sensibility to shame or praise; exquisite sensibility; — often used in the plural. "Sensibilities so fine!" Cowper. The true lawgiver ought to have a heart full of sensibility. Burke. His sensibilities seem rather to have been those of patriotism than of wounded pride. Marshall.
3. Experience of sensation; actual feeling. This adds greatly to my sensibility. Burke.
4. That quality of an instrument which makes it indicate very slight changes of condition; delicacy; as, the sensibility of a balance, or of a thermometer.
Syn.— Taste; susceptibility; feeling. See Taste.
SENSIBLESen"si*ble, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. sensibilis, fr. sensus sense.]
1. Capable of being perceived by the senses; apprehensible through the bodily organs; hence, also, perceptible to the mind; making an impression upon the sense, reason, or understanding; sensible resistance. Air is sensible to the touch by its motion. Arbuthnot. The disgrace was more sensible than the pain. Sir W. Temple. Any very sensible effect upon the prices of things. A. Smith.
2. Having the capacity of receiving impressions from external objects; capable of perceiving by the instrumentality of the proper organs; liable to be affected physsically or mentally; impressible. Would your cambric were sensible as your finger. Shak.
3. Hence: Liable to impression from without; easily affected; having nice perception or acute feeling; sensitive; also, readily moved or affected by natural agents; delicate; as, a sensible thermometer. "With affection wondrous sensible." Shak.
4. Perceiving or having perception, either by the senses or the mind; cognizant; perceiving so clearly as to be convinced; satisfied; persuaded. He [man] can not think at any time, waking or sleeping, without being sensible of it. Locke. They are now sensible it would have been better to comply than to refuse. Addison.
5. Having moral perception; capable of being affected by moral good or evil.
6. Possessing or containing sense or reason; giftedwith, or characterized by, good or common sense; intelligent; wise. Now a sensible man, by and by a fool. Shak. Sensible note or tone (Mus.), the major seventh note of any scale; — so called because, being but a half step below the octave, or key tone, and naturally leading up to that, it makes the ear sensible of its approaching sound. Called also the leading tone. — Sensible horizon. See Horizon, n., 2. (a).
Syn. — Intelligent; wise. — Sensible, Intelligent. We call a man sensible whose judgments and conduct are marked and governed by sound judgment or good common semse. We call one intelligent who is quick and clear in his understanding, i. e., who discriminates readily and nicely in respect to difficult and important distinction. The sphere of the sensible man lies in matters of practical concern; of the intelligent man, in subjects of intellectual interest. "I have been tired with accounts from sensible men, furnished with matters of fact which have happened within their own knowledge." Addison. "Trace out numerous footsteps . . . of a most wise and intelligent architect throughout all this stupendous fabric." Woodward.