SLOPPYSlop"py, a. [Compar. Sloppier; superl. Sloppiest.] Etym: [From Slop.]
Defn: Wet, so as to spatter easily; wet, as with something slopped over; muddy; plashy; as, a sloppy place, walk, road.
SLOPSELLERSlop"sell`er, n.
Defn: One who sells slops, or ready-made clothes. See 4th Slop, 3.
SLOPSHOPSlop"shop`, n.
Defn: A shop where slops. or ready-made clothes, are sold.
SLOPWORKSlop"work`, n.
Defn: The manufacture of slops, or cheap ready-made clothing; also, such clothing; hence, hasty, slovenly work of any kind. No slopwork ever dropped from his [Carlyle's] pen. Froude.
SLOPYSlop"y, a.
Defn: Sloping; inclined.
SLOSH; SLOSHYSlosh, Slosh"y.
Defn: See Slush, Slushy.
SLOT Slot, n. Etym: [LG. & D. slot a lock, from a verb meaning to close., to shut, D. sluiten; akin to G. schliessen, OHG. sliozan, OFries. sl, and probably to L. claudere. Cf. Close, Sluice.]
1. A broad, flat, wooden bar; a slat or sloat.
2. A bolt or bar for fastening a door. [Prov. Eng.]
3. A narrow depression, perforation, or aperture; esp., one for the reception of a piece fitting or sliding in it.
SLOTSlot, v. t. Etym: [See Slot a bar.]
Defn: To shut with violence; to slam; as, to slot a door. [Obs. orProv. Eng.]
SLOTSlot, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. sl, and E. sleuth.]
Defn: The track of a deer; hence, a track of any kind. Milton.As a bloodhound follows the slot of a hurt deer. Sir W. Scott.
SLOTHSloth, n. Etym: [OE. slouthe, sleuthe, AS. sl, fr. slaw slow. SeeSlow.]
1. Slowness; tardiness. These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome. Shak.
2. Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; laziness;idleness.[They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth. Milton.Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears. Franklin.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of arboreal edentates constituting the family Bradypodidæ, and the suborder Tardigrada. They have long exserted limbs and long prehensile claws. Both jaws are furnished with teeth (see Illust. of Edentata), and the ears and tail are rudimentary. They inhabit South and Central America and Mexico.
Note: The three-toed sloths belong to the genera Bradypus and Arctopithecus, of which several species have been described. They have three toes on each foot. The best-known species are collared sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), and the ai (Arctopitheus ai). The two- toed sloths, consisting the genus Cholopus, have two toes on each fore foot and three on each hind foot. The best-known is the unau (Cholopus didactylus) of South America. See Unau. Another species (C. Hoffmanni) inhabits Central America. Various large extinct terrestrial edentates, such as Megatherium and Mylodon, are often called sloths. Australian, or Native sloth (Zoöl.), the koala. — Sloth animalcule (Zoöl.), a tardigrade. — Sloth bear (Zoöl.), a black or brown long-haired bear (Melursus ursinus, or labiatus), native of India and Ceylon; — called also aswail, labiated bear, and jungle bear. It is easily tamed and can be taught many tricks. — Sloth monkey (Zoöl.), a loris.
SLOTHSloth, v. i.
Defn: To be idle. [Obs.] Gower.
SLOTHFULSloth"ful, a.
Defn: Addicted to sloth; inactive; sluggish; lazy; indolent; idle.He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is agreat waster. Prov. xviii. 9.— Sloth"ful*ly, adv.— Sloth"ful*ness, n.
SLOTHHOUNDSloth"hound`, n. Etym: [See Slot a track, and cf. Sleuthhound.](Zoöl.)
Defn: See Sleuthhound.
SLOT MACHINESlot" ma*chine".
Defn: A machine the operation of which is started by dropping a coin into a slot, for delivering small articles of merchandise, showing one's weight, exhibiting pictures, throwing dice, etc.
SLOTTEDSlot"ted, a.
Defn: Having a slot.
SLOTTINGSlot"ting, n.
Defn: The act or process of making slots, or mortises.
SLOUCH Slouch, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. sla slouching felloew, and E. slack, slug, a lazy fellow.]
1. A hanging down of the head; a drooping attitude; a limp appearance; an ungainly, clownish gait; a sidewise depression or hanging down, as of a hat brim.
2. An awkward, heavy, clownish fellow. [Colloq.] Slouth hat, a soft, limp hat of unstiffened cloth or felt.
SLOUCHSlouch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Slouched; p. pr. & vb. n. Slouching.]
1. To droop, as the head.
2. To walk in a clumsy, lazy manner. [Colloq.]
SLOUCHSlouch, v. t.
Defn: To cause to hang down; to depress at the side; as, to slouth the hat.
SLOUCHINGSlouch"ing, a.
Defn: Hanging down at the side; limp; drooping; without firmness or shapeliness; moving in an ungainly manner.
SLOUCHYSlouch"y, a.
Defn: Slouching. [Colloq.]
SLOUGHSlough, a.
Defn: Slow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
SLOUGHSlough, n. Etym: [OE. slogh, slough, AS. sloh a hollow place; cf.MHG. sluch an abyss, gullet, G. schlucken to swallow; also Gael. &Ir. sloc a pit, pool. ditch, Ir. slug to swallow. Gr.
1. A place of deep mud or mire; a hole full of mire. Chaucer. He's here stuck in a slough. Milton.
2. [Pronounced sloo.]
Defn: A wet place; a swale; a side channel or inlet from a river.
Note: [In this sense local or provincial; also spelt sloo, and slue.] Slough grass (Bot.), a name in the Mississippi valley for grasses of the genus Muhlenbergia; — called also drop seed, and nimble Will.
SLOUGHSlough, obs.
Defn: imp. of Slee, to slay. Slew. Chaucer.
SLOUGH Slough, n. Etym: [OE. slugh, slouh; cf. MHG. sl the skin of a serpent, G. schlauch a skin, a leather bag or bottle.]
1. The skin, commonly the cast-off skin, of a serpent or of some similar animal.
2. (Med.)
Defn: The dead mass separating from a foul sore; the dead part which separates from the living tissue in mortification.
SLOUGHSlough, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sloughed; p. pr. & vb. n. Sloughing.](Med.)
Defn: To form a slough; to separate in the form of dead matter from the living tissues; — often used with off, or away; as, a sloughing ulcer; the dead tissues slough off slowly.
SLOUGHSlough, v. t.
Defn: To cast off; to discard as refuse. New tint the plumage of the birds, And slough decay from grazing herds. Emerson.
SLOUGHINGSlough"ing, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The act of casting off the skin or shell, as do insects and crustaceans; ecdysis.
SLOUGHYSlough"y, a.
Defn: Full of sloughs, miry.
SLOUGHYSlough"y, a.
Defn: Resembling, or of the nature of, a slough, or the dead matter which separates from living flesh.
SLOVEN Slov"en, n. Etym: [D. slaf careless, negligent, a sloven; akin to LG. sluf slovenly.]
Defn: A man or boy habitually negligent of neathess and order; — the correlative term to slattern, or slut. Pope. He became a confirmed sloven. Macaulay.
SLOVENLINESSSlov"en*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being slovenly.
SLOVENLYSlov"en*ly, a.
1. Having the habits of a sloven; negligent of neatness and order, especially in dress. A slovenly, lazy fellow, bolling at his ease. L'Estrange.
2. Characteristic of a solven; lacking neatness and order; evincing negligence; as, slovenly dress.
SLOVENLYSlov"en*ly, adv.
Defn: a slovenly manner.
SLOVENNESSSlov"en*ness, n.
Defn: Slovenliness. [Obs.] Fuller.
SLOVENRYSlov"en*ry, n.
Defn: Slovenliness. [Obs.] Shak.
SLOWSlow, obs.
Defn: imp. of Slee, to slay. Slew. Chaucer.
SLOWSlow, a. [Compar. Slower; superl. Slowest.] Etym: [OE. slow, slaw,AS. slaw; akin to OS. sl blunt, dull, D. sleeuw, slee, sour, OHG. slblunt, dull, Icel. sl, sl, Dan. slöv, Sw. slö. Cf. Sloe, and Sloth.]
1. Moving a short space in a relatively long time; not swift; not quick in motion; not rapid; moderate; deliberate; as, a slow stream; a slow motion.
2. Not happening in a short time; gradual; late. These changes in the heavens, though slow, produced Like change on sea and land, sidereal blast. Milton.
3. Not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue. Fixed on defense, the Trojans are not slow To guard their shore from an expected foe. Dryden.
4. Not hasty; not precipitate; acting with deliberation; tardy; inactive. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. Prov. xiv. 29.
5. Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time; as, the clock or watch is slow.
6. Not advancing or improving rapidly; as, the slow growth of arts and sciences.
7. Heavy in wit; not alert, prompt, or spirited; wearisome; dull. [Colloq.] Dickens. Thackeray.
Note: Slow is often used in the formation of compounds for the most part self-explaining; as, slow-gaited, slow-paced, slow-sighted, slow-winged, and the like. Slow coach, a slow person. See def.7, above. [Colloq.] — Slow lemur, or Slow loris (Zoöl.), an East Indian nocturnal lemurine animal (Nycticebus tardigradus) about the size of a small cat; — so called from its slow and deliberate movements. It has very large round eyes and is without a tail. Called also bashful Billy. — Slow match. See under Match.
Syn. — Dilatory; late; lingering; tardy; sluggish; dull; inactive. — Slow, Tardy, Dilatory. Slow is the wider term, denoting either a want of rapid motion or inertness of intellect. Dilatory signifies a proneness to defer, a habit of delaying the performance of what we know must be done. Tardy denotes the habit of being behind hand; as, tardy in making up one's acounts.
SLOWSlow, adv.
Defn: Slowly.Let him have time to mark how slow time goes In time of sorrow. Shak.
SLOWSlow, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Slowing.]
Defn: To render slow; to slacken the speed of; to retard; to delay; as, to slow a steamer. Shak.
SLOWSlow, v. i.
Defn: To go slower; — often with up; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge.
SLOWSlow, n.
Defn: A moth. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
SLOWBACKSlow"back`, n.
Defn: A lubber; an idle fellow; a loiterer. [Old Slang] Dr. Favour.
SLOWHSlowh, obs.
Defn: imp. of Slee,to slay. Chaucer.
SLOWHOUNDSlow"hound`, n.
Defn: A sleuthhound. [R.]
SLOWLYSlow"ly, adv.
Defn: In a slow manner; moderately; not rapidly; not early; not rashly; not readly; tardly.
SLOWNESSSlow"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being slow.
SLOWSSlows, n. (Med.)
Defn: Milk sickness.
SLOW-WITTEDSlow"-wit`ted, a.
Defn: Dull of apprehension; not possessing quick intelligence.
SLOWWORMSlow"worm`, n. Etym: [AS. slawyrm; the first part is probably akin tosleán to strike, the reptile being supposed to be very poisonous. SeeSlay, v. t., and Worm.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lecertilian reptile; the blindworm.
SLOYD Sloyd, n. [Written also slojd, and sloid.] [Sw. slöjd skill, dexterity, esp. skilled labor, hence, manufacture, wood carving.]
Defn: Lit., skilled mechanical work, such as that required in wood carving; trade work; hence, a system (usually called the sloyd system) of manual training in the practical use of the tools and materials used in the trades, and of instruction in the making and use of the plans and specifications connected with trade work. The sloyd system derives its name from the fact that it was adopted or largely developed from a similar Swedish system, in which wood carving was a chief feature. Its purpose is not only to afford practical skill in some trade, but also to develop the pupils mentally and physically.
SLUBSlub, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A roll of wool slightly twisted; a rove; — called also slubbing.
SLUBSlub, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slubbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Slubbing.]
Defn: To draw out and twist slightly; — said of slivers of wool.
SLUBBERSlub"ber, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slubbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Slubbering.]Etym: [Cf. Dan. slubbreto swallow, to sup up, D. slobberen to lap, toslabber. Cf. Slabber.]
1. To do lazily, imperfectly, or coarsely. Slubber not business for my sake. Shak.
2. To daub; to stain; to cover carelessly. There is no art that hath more . . . slubbered with aphorisming pedantry than the art of policy. Milton.
SLUBBERSlub"ber, n.
Defn: A slubbing machine.
SLUBBERDEGULLIONSlub"ber*de*gul`lion, n. Etym: [Slubber + Prov. E. gullion a wretch.]
Defn: A mean, dirty wretch. [Low]
SLUBBERINGLYSlub"ber*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a slovenly, or hurried and imperfect, manner. [Low] Drayton.
SLUBBINGSlub"bing, a. & n.
Defn: from Slub. Slubbing billy, or Slubbing machine, the machine by which slubs are formed.
SLUDGESludge, n. Etym: [CF. Slush.]
1. Mud; mire; soft mud; slush. Mortimer. Tennyson.
2. Small floating pieces of ice, or masses of saturated snow. Kane.
3. (Mining)
Defn: See Slime, 4. Sludge hole, the hand-hole, or manhole, in a steam boiler, by means of which sediment can be removed.
SLUDGE ACIDSludge acid.
Defn: Impure dark-colored sulphuric acid that has been used in the refining of petroleum.
SLUDGERSlud"ger, n.
Defn: A bucket for removing mud from a bored hole; a sand pump.
SLUDGERSludg"er, n.
Defn: A shovel for sludging out drains, etc.
SLUDYSlud"y, a.
Defn: Miry; slushy.
SLUESlue, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slued (; p. pr. & vb. n. Sluing (.] Etym:[Prov. E. slew to turn round, Scot. to lean or incline to a side; cf.Icel. sn to turn, bend.] [Written also slew.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: To turn about a fixed point, usually the center or axis, as a spar or piece of timber; to turn; — used also of any heavy body.
2. In general, to turn about; to twist; — often used reflexively and followed by round. [Colloq.] They laughed, and slued themselves round. Dickens.
SLUESlue, v. i.
Defn: To turn about; to turn from the course; to slip or slide and turn from an expected or desired course; — often followed by round.
SLUESlue, n.
Defn: See Sloough, 2. [Local]
SLUG Slug, n. Etym: [OE. slugge slothful, sluggen to be slothful; cf. LG. slukk low-spirited, sad, E. slack, slouch, D. slak, slek, a snail.]
1. A drone; a slow, lazy fellow; a sluggard. Shak.
2. A hindrance; an obstruction. [Obs.] Bacon.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of terrestrial pulmonate mollusks belonging to Limax and several related genera, in which the shell is either small and concealed in the mantle, or altogether wanting. They are closely allied to the land snails.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any smooth, soft larva of a sawfly or moth which creeps like a mollusk; as, the pear slug; rose slug.
5. A ship that sails slowly. [Obs.] Halliwell. His rendezvous for his fleet, and for all slugs to come to, should be between Calais and Dover. Pepys.
6. Etym: [Perhaps a different word.]
Defn: An irregularly shaped piece of metal, used as a missile for a gun.
7. (Print.)
Defn: A thick strip of metal less than type high, and as long as the width of a column or a page, — used in spacing out pages and to separate display lines, etc. Sea slug. (Zoöl.) (a) Any nudibranch mollusk. (b) A holothurian. — Slug caterpillar. Same as Slugworm.
SLUGSlug, v. i.
Defn: To move slowly; to lie idle. [Obs.]To slug in sloth and sensual delight. Spenser.
SLUGSlug, v. t.
Defn: To make sluggish. [Obs.] Milton.
SLUGSlug, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slugged; p. pr. & vb. n. Slugging.]
1. To load with a slug or slugs; as, to slug a gun.
2. To strike heavily. [Cant or Slang]
SLUGSlug, v. i.
Defn: To become reduced in diameter, or changed in shape, by passing from a larger to a smaller part of the bore of the barrel; — said of a bullet when fired from a gun, pistol, or other firearm.
SLUGABEDSlug"a*bed`, n.
Defn: One who indulges in lying abed; a sluggard. [R.] "Fie, you slugabed!" Shak.
SLUGGARDSlug"gard, n. Etym: [Slug + -ard.]
Defn: A person habitually lazy, idle, and inactive; a drone. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; considered her ways, and be wise. Prov. vi. 6.
SLUGGARDSlug"gard, a.
Defn: Sluggish; lazy. Dryden.
SLUGGARDIZESlug"gard*ize, v. t.
Defn: To make lazy. [R.] Shak.
SLUGGARDYSlug"gard*y, n. Etym: [OE. sloggardye.]
Defn: The state of being a sluggard; sluggishness; sloth. Gower.Idleness is rotten sluggardy. Chaucer.
SLUGGERSlug"ger, n.
Defn: One who strikes heavy blows; hence, a boxer; a prize fighter.[Cant or Slang]
SLUGGING MATCH Slug"ging match. (a) A boxing match or prize fight marked rather by heavy hitting than skill. [Cant or Slang] (b) A ball game, esp. a baseball game, in which there is much hard hitting of the ball. [Slang, U. S.]
SLUGGISHSlug"gish, a.
1. Habitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive; as, a sluggish man.
2. Slow; having little motion; as, a sluggish stream.
3. Having no power to move one's self or itself; inert. Matter, being impotent, sluggish, and inactive, hath no power to stir or move itself. Woodward. And the sluggish land slumbers in utter neglect. Longfellow.
4. Characteristic of a sluggard; dull; stupid; tame; simple. [R.] "So sluggish a conceit." Milton.
Syn.— Inert; idle; lazy; slothful; indolent; dronish; slow; dull;drowsy; inactive. See Inert.— Slug"gish*ly, adv.— Slug"gish*ness, n.
SLUGGYSlug"gy, a.
Defn: Sluggish. [Obs.] Chaucer.
SLUG-HORNSlug"-horn`, a.
Defn: An erroneous form of the Scotch word slughorne, or sloggorne, meaning slogan.
SLUGSSlugs, n. pl. (Mining)
Defn: Half-roasted ore.
SLUGWORMSlug"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any caterpillar which has the general appearance of a slug, as do those of certain moths belonging to Limacodes and allied genera, and those of certain sawflies.
SLUICESluice, n. Etym: [OF. escluse, F. écluse, LL. exclusa, sclusa, fromL. excludere, exclusum, to shut out: cf. D. sluis sluice, from theOld French. See Exclude.]
1. An artifical passage for water, fitted with a valve or gate, as in a mill stream, for stopping or regulating the flow; also, a water gate of flood gate.
2. Hence, an opening or channel through which anything flows; asource of supply.Each sluice of affluent fortune opened soon. Harte.This home familiarity . . . opens the sluices of sensibility. I.Taylor.
3. The stream flowing through a flood gate.
4. (Mining)
Defn: A long box or trough through which water flows, — used for washing auriferous earth. Sluice gate, the sliding gate of a sluice.
SLUICESluice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sluiced; p. pr. & vb. n. Sluicing.]
1. To emit by, or as by, flood gates. [R.] Milton.
2. To wet copiously, as by opening a sluice; as, to sluice meadows. Howitt. He dried his neck and face, which he had been sluicing with cold water. De Quincey.
3. To wash with, or in, a stream of water running through a sluice; as, to sluice eart or gold dust in mining.
SLUICEWAYSluice"way`, n.
Defn: An artificial channel into which water is let by a sluice; specifically, a trough constructed over the bed of a stream, so that logs, lumber, or rubbish can be floated down to some convenient place of delivery.
SLUICYSlui`cy, a.
Defn: Falling copiously or in streams, as from a sluice.And oft whole sheets descend of sluicy rain. Dryden.
SLUMSlum, n. Etym: [CF. Slump, n.]
1. A foul back street of a city, especially one filled with a poor, dirty, degraded, and often vicious population; any low neighborhood or dark retreat; — usually in the plural; as, Westminster slums are haunts for theives. Dickens.
2. pl. (Mining)
Defn: Same as Slimes.
SLUMBER Slum"ber, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Slumbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Slumbering.] Etym: [OE. slombren, slumberen, slumeren, AS. slumerian, fr. sluma slumber; akin to D. sluimeren to slumber, MHG. slummern, slumen, G. schlummern, Dan. slumre, Sw. slumra, Goth. slawan to be silent.]
1. To sleep; especially, to sleep lightly; to doze. Piers Plowman. He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Ps. cxxi. 4.
2. To be in a state of negligence, sloth, supineness, or inactivity. "Why slumbers Pope" Young.
SLUMBERSlum"ber, v. t.
1. To lay to sleep. [R.] Wotton.
2. To stun; to stupefy. [Obs.] Spenser.
SLUMBERSlum"ber, n.
Defn: Sleep; especially, light sleep; sleep that is not deep orsound; repose.He at last fell into a slumber, and thence into a fast sleep, whichdetained him in that place until it was almost night. Bunyan.Fast asleep It is no matter; Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber.Shak.Rest to my soul, and slumber to my eyes. Dryden.
SLUMBERERSlum"ber*er, n.
Defn: One who slumbers; a sleeper.
SLUMBERINGLYSlum"ber*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a slumbering manner.
SLUMBERLESSSlum"ber*less, a.
Defn: Without slumber; sleepless.
SLUMBEROUSSlum"ber*ous, a.
1. Inviting slumber; soporiferous. "Pensive in the slumberous shade." Pope.
2. Being in the repose of slumber; sleepy; drowsy. His quiet and almost slumberous countenance. Hawthorne.
SLUMBERYSlum"ber*y, a.
Defn: Sleepy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
SLUMBROUSSlum"brous, a.
Defn: Slumberous. Keats.
SLUMGUMSlum"gum`, n.
Defn: The impure residue, consisting of cocoons, propolis, etc., remaining after the wax is extracted from honeycombs.
SLUMMINGSlum"ming, vb. n.
Defn: Visiting slums.
SLUMP Slump, n. Etym: [Cf. D. slomp a mass, heap, Dan. slump a quantity, and E. slump, v.t.]
Defn: The gross amount; the mass; the lump. [Scot.]
SLUMP Slump, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Lump; also Sw. slumpa to bargain for the lump.]
Defn: To lump; to throw into a mess. These different groups . . . are exclusively slumped together under that sense. Sir W. Hamilton.
SLUMP Slump, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Slumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Slumping.] Etym: [Scot. slump a dull noise produced by something falling into a hole, a marsh, a swamp.]
Defn: To fall or sink suddenly through or in, when walking on a surface, as on thawing snow or ice, partly frozen ground, a bog, etc., not strong enough to bear the person. The latter walk on a bottomless quag, into which unawares they may slump. Barrow.
SLUMPSlump, n.
1. A boggy place. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
2. The noise made by anything falling into a hole, or into a soft, miry place. [Scot.]
SLUMPYSlump"y, a.
Defn: Easily broken through; boggy; marshy; swampy. [Prov. Eng. &Colloq. U.S.] Bartlett.
SLUNGSlung,
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Sling. Slung shot, a metal ball of small size, with a string attached, used by ruffians for striking.
SLUNKSlunk,
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Slink.
SLUR Slur, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slurred; p. pr. & vb. n. Slurring.] Etym: [Cf. OE. sloor mud, clay, Icel. sl, slo, to trail or drag one's self along, D. sleuren, sloren, to train, to drag, to do negligently and slovenly, D. sloor, sloerie, a sluttish girl.]
1. To soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace. Cudworth.
2. To disparage; to traduce. Tennyson.
3. To cover over; to disguise; to conceal; to pass over lightly or with little notice. With periods, points, and tropes, he slurs his crimes. Dryden.
4. To cheat, as by sliding a die; to trick. [R.] To slur men of what they fought for. Hudibras.
5. To pronounce indistinctly; as, to slur syllables.
6. (Mus.)
Defn: To sing or perform in a smooth, gliding style; to connect smoothly in performing, as several notes or tones. Busby.
7. (Print.)
Defn: To blur or double, as an impression from type; to mackle.
SLURSlur, n.
1. A mark or stain; hence, a slight reproach or disgrace; a stigma; a reproachful intimation; an innuendo. "Gaining to his name a lasting slur." South.
2. A trick played upon a person; an imposition. [R.]
3. (Mus.)
Defn: A mark, thus [&upslur; or ], connecting notes that are to be sung to the same syllable, or made in one continued breath of a wind instrument, or with one stroke of a bow; a tie; a sign of legato.
4. In knitting machines, a contrivance for depressing the sinkers successively by passing over them.
SLURREDSlurred, a. (Mus.)
Defn: Marked with a slur; performed in a smooth, gliding style, like notes marked with a slur.
SLUSH Slush, n. Etym: [Cf. Sw. slaska to paddle in water, slask wet, filth.] [Written also slosh.]
1. Soft mud.
2. A mixture of snow and water; half-melted snow.
3. A soft mixture of grease and other materials, used for lubrication.
4. The refuse grease and fat collected in cooking, especially on shipboard.
5. (Mach.)
Defn: A mixture of white lead and lime, with which the bright parts of machines, such as the connecting rods of steamboats, are painted to be preserved from oxidation.
SLUSHSlush, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slushed; p. pr. & vb. n. Slushing.]
1. To smear with slush or grease; as, to slush a mast.
2. To paint with a mixture of white lead and lime.
SLUSHYSlush"y, a.
Defn: Abounding in slush; characterized by soft mud or half-melted snow; as, the streets are slushy; the snow is slushy. "A dark, drizzling, slushy day." Blackw. Mag.
SLUT Slut, n. Etym: [OE. slutte; cf. OD. slodde a slut, Icel. slöttr a heavy, loglike fellow, slota to droop.]
1. An untidy woman; a slattern. Sluts are good enough to make a sloven's porridge. Old Proverb.
2. A servant girl; a drudge. [Obs.] Our little girl Susan is a most admirable slut, and pleases us mightly, doing more service than both the others. Pepys.
3. A female dog; a bitch.
SLUTCHSlutch, n. Etym: [CF. Sludge.]
Defn: Slush. [Prov. Eng.]
SLUTCHYSlutch"y, a.
Defn: Slushy. [Prov. Eng.] Pennant.
SLUTHHOUNDSluth"hound`, n.
Defn: Sleuthhound.
SLUTTERYSlut"ter*y, n.
Defn: The qualities and practices of a slut; sluttishness; slatternlines. Drayton.
SLUTTISHSlut"tish, a.
Defn: Like a slut; untidy; indecently negligent of cleanliness; disorderly; as, a sluttish woman. Why is thy lord so slutish, I thee pray. Chaucer. An air of liberal, though sluttish, plenty, indicated the wealthy farmer. Sir W. Scott. — Slut"tish*ly, adv. — Slut"tish*ness, n.
SLYSly, a. [Compar. Slier or Slyer; superl. Sliest or Slyest.] Etym:[OE. sli, slegh, sleih, Icel sl, for sl; akin to Sw. slug, Dan. slu,LG. slou, G. schlau; probably to E. slay, v.t.; cf. G. verschlagensly. See Slay, v. t., and cf. Sleight.]
1. Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice; nimble; skillful; cautious; shrewd; knowing; — in a good sense. Be ye sly as serpents, and simple as doves. Wyclif (Matt. x. 16). Whom graver age And long experience hath made wise and sly. Fairfax.
2. Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily. For my sly wiles and subtle craftiness, The litle of the kingdom I possess. Spenser.
3. Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle; as, a sly trick. Envy works in a sly and imperceptible manner. I. Watts.
4. Light or delicate; slight; thin. [Obs.] By the sly, or On the sly, in a sly or secret manner. [Colloq.] "Gazed on Hetty's charms by the sly." G. Eliot. — Sly goose (Zoöl.), the common sheldrake; — so named from its craftiness.
Syn.— Cunning; crafty; subtile; wily. See Cunning.
SLYSly, adv.
Defn: Slyly. [Obs. or Poetic] Spenser.
SLYBOOTSSly"boots`, n.
Defn: A humerous appellation for a sly, cunning, or waggish person.Slyboots was cursedly cunning to hide 'em. Goldsmith.
SLYLYSly"ly, adv.
Defn: In a sly manner; shrewdly; craftily.Honestly and slyly he it spent. Chaucer.
SLYNESSSly"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being sly.
SLYPESlype, n. Etym: [Cf. D. sluipen to sneak.] (Arch.)
Defn: A narrow passage between two buildings, as between the transept and chapter house of a monastery. [Eng.]
SMACK Smack, n. Etym: [D. smak; akin to LG. smack, smak, Dan. smakke, G. schmacke, F. semaque.] (Naut.)
Defn: A small sailing vessel, commonly rigged as a sloop, used chiefly in the coasting and fishing trade.
SMACK Smack, n. Etym: [OE. smak, AS. ssm taste, savor; akin to D. smaak, G. geschmack, OHG. smac; cf. Lith. smagus pleasant. Cf. Smack, v. i.]
1. Taste or flavor, esp. a slight taste or flavor; savor; tincture; as, a smack of bitter in the medicine. Also used figuratively. So quickly they have taken a smack in covetousness. Robynson (More's Utopia). They felt the smack of this world. Latimer.
2. A small quantity; a taste. Dryden.
3. A loud kiss; a buss. "A clamorous smack." Shak.
4. A quick, sharp noise, as of the lips when suddenly separated, or of a whip.
5. A quick, smart blow; a slap. Johnson.
SMACKSmack, adv.
Defn: As if with a smack or slap. [Colloq.]
SMACK Smack, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Smacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Smacking.] Etym: [OE. smaken to taste, have a taste, — from the noun; cf. AS. smecan taste; akin to D. smaken, G. schmecken, OHG. smechen to taste, smachschmatzen to smack the lips, to kiss with a sharp noise, MHG. smatzen, smackzeen), Icel smakka to taste, Sw. smaka, Dan. smage. See 2d Smack, n.]
1. To have a smack; to be tinctured with any particular taste.
2. To have or exhibit indications of the presence of any character or quality. All sects, all ages, smack of this vice. Shak.
3. To kiss with a close compression of the lips, so as to make a sound when they separate; to kiss with a sharp noise; to buss.
4. To make a noise by the separation of the lips after tasting anything.
SMACKSmack, v. t.
1. To kiss with a sharp noise; to buss.
2. To open, as the lips, with an inarticulate sound made by a quick compression and separation of the parts of the mouth; to make a noise with, as the lips, by separating them in the act of kissing or after tasting. Drinking off the cup, and smacking his lips with an air of ineffable relish. Sir W. Scott.
3. To make a sharp noise by striking; to crack; as, to smack a whip. "She smacks the silken thong." Young.
SMACKINGSmack"ing, n.
Defn: A sharp, quick noise; a smack.Like the faint smacking of an after kiss. Dryden.
SMACKINGSmack"ing, a.
Defn: Making a sharp, brisk sound; hence, brisk; as, a smacking breeze.
SMALL Small, a. [Compar. Smaller; superl. Smallest.] Etym: [OE. small, AS. sm$l; akin to D. smal narrow, OS. & OHG. smal small, G. schmal narrow, Dan. & Sw. smal, Goth. smals small, Icel. smali smal cattle, sheep, or goats; cf. Gr.
1. Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river. To compare Great things with small. Milton.
2. Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant; as, a small fault; a small business.
3. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; — sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean. A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the reatest man. Carlyle.
4. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space. Shak.
5. Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud. "A still, smallvoice." 1 Kings xix. 12. Great and small,of all ranks or degrees; —used especially of persons. "His quests, great and small." Chaucer.— Small arms, muskets, rifles, pistols, etc., in distinction fromcannon.— Small beer. See under Beer.— Small coal. (a) Little coals of wood formerly used to lightfires. Gay. (b) Coal about the size of a hazelnut, separated from thecoarser parts by screening.— Small craft (Naut.), a vessel, or vessels in general, of a smallsize.— Small fruits. See under Fruit.— Small hand, a certain size of paper. See under Paper.— Small hours. See under Hour.— Small letter. (Print.), a lower-case letter. See Lower-case, andCapital letter, under Capital, a.— Small piece, a Scotch coin worth about 2 — Small register. Seethe Note under 1st Register, 7.— Small stuff (Naut.), spun yarn, marline, and the smallest kindsof rope. R. H. Dana, Jr.— Small talk, light or trifling conversation; chitchat.— Small wares (Com.), various small textile articles, as tapes,braid, tringe, and the like. M`Culloch.
SMALLSmall, adv.
1. In or to small extent, quantity, or degree; little; slightly. [Obs.] "I wept but small." Chaucer. "It small avails my mood." Shak.
2. Not loudly; faintly; timidly. [Obs. or Humorous] You may speak as small as you will. Shak.
SMALLSmall, n.
1. The small or slender part of a thing; as, the small of the leg or of the back.
2. pl.
Defn: Smallclothes. [Colloq.] Hood. Dickens.
3. pl.
Defn: Same as Little go. See under Little, a.
SMALLSmall, v. t.
Defn: To make little or less. [Obs.]
SMALLAGESmall"age, n. Etym: [Small + F. ache smallage. See Ach parsley.](Bot.)
Defn: A biennial umbelliferous plant (Apium graveolens) native of the seacoats of Europe and Asia. When deprived of its acrid and even poisonous properties by cultivation, it becomes celery.
SMALLCLOTHESSmall"clothes`, n. pl.
Defn: A man's garment for the hips and thighs; breeches. SeeBreeches.
SMALLISHSmall"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat small. G. W. Cable.
SMALLNESSSmall"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being small.
SMALLPOXSmall"pox`, n. Etym: [Small + pox, pocks.] (Med.)
Defn: A contagious, constitutional, febrile disease characterized by a peculiar eruption; variola. The cutaneous eruption is at first a collection of papules which become vesicles (first flat, subsequently umbilicated) and then pustules, and finally thick crusts which slough after a certain time, often leaving a pit, or scar.
SMALLSSmalls, n. pl.
Defn: See Small, n., 2, 3.
SMALLSWORDSmall"sword`, n.
Defn: A light sword used for thrusting only; especially, the sword worn by civilians of rank in the eighteenth century.
SMALLYSmal"ly, adv.
Defn: In a small quantity or degree; with minuteness. [R.] Ascham.
SMALTSmalt, n. Etym: [It. smalto, LL. smaltum; of Teutonic origin; cf.OHG. smalz grease, butter, G. schmalz grease, OHG. smelzan to melt,G. schmelzen. See Smelt, v. t., and cf. Amel, Enamel.]
Defn: A deep blue pigment or coloring material used in various arts. It is a vitreous substance made of cobalt, potash, and calcined quartz fused, and reduced to a powder.
SMALT-BLUESmalt"-blue`, a.
Defn: Deep blue, like smalt.
SMALTINE; SMALTITESmalt"ine, Smalt"ite, n. Etym: [See Smalt.] (Min.)
Defn: A tin-white or gray mineral of metallic luster. It is an arsenide of cobalt, nickel, and iron. Called also speiskobalt.
SMARAGDSmar"agd, n. Etym: [L. smaragdus. See Emerald.]
Defn: The emerald. [Obs.] Bale.
SMARAGDINESma*rag"dine, a. Etym: [L. smaragdinus, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to emerald; resembling emerald; of an emerald green.
SMARAGDITE Sma*rag"dite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. smaragdite; — so called from its emerald-green color. See Smaragd.] (Min.)
Defn: A green foliated kind of amphibole, observed in eclogite and some varietis of gabbro.
SMART Smart, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Smarted; p. pr. & vb. n. Smarting.] Etym: [OE. smarten, AS. smeortan; akin to D. smarten, smerten, G. schmerzen, OHG. smerzan, Dan. smerte, SW. smärta, D. smart, smert, a pain, G. schmerz, Ohg. smerzo, and probably to L. mordere to bite; cf. Gr. m to rub, crush. Cf. Morsel.]
1. To feel a lively, pungent local pain; — said of some part of the body as the seat of irritation; as, my finger smarts; these wounds smart. Chaucer. Shak.
2. To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; to suffer; to feel the sting of evil. No creature smarts so little as a fool. Pope. He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it. Prov. xi. 15.
SMARTSmart, v. t.
Defn: To cause a smart in. "A goad that . . . smarts the flesh." T.Adams.
SMARTSmart, n. Etym: [OE. smerte. See Smart, v. i.]
1. Quick, pungent, lively pain; a pricking local pain, as the pain from puncture by nettles. "In pain's smart." Chaucer.
2. Severe, pungent pain of mind; pungent grief; as, the smart ofaffliction.To stand 'twixt us and our deserved smart. Milton.Counsel mitigates the greatest smart. Spenser.
3. A fellow who affects smartness, briskness, and vivacity; a dandy. [Slang] Fielding.
4. Smart money (see below). [Canf]
SMARTSmart, a. [Compar. Smarter; superl. Smartest.] Etym: [OE. smerte. SeeSmart, v. i.]
1. Causing a smart; pungent; pricking; as, a smart stroke or taste. How smart lash that speech doth give my conscience. Shak.
2. Keen; severe; poignant; as, smart pain.
3. Vigorous; sharp; severe. "Smart skirmishes, in which many fell." Clarendon.
4. Accomplishing, or able to accomplish, results quickly; active; sharp; clever. [Colloq.]
5. Efficient; vigorous; brilliant. "The stars shine smarter." Dryden.
6. Marked by acuteness or shrewdness; quick in suggestion or reply; vivacious; witty; as, a smart reply; a smart saying. Who, for the poor renown of being smart Would leave a sting within a brother's heart Young. A sentence or two, . . . which I thought very smart. Addison.
7. Pretentious; showy; spruce; as, a smart gown.
8. Brisk; fresh; as, a smart breeze. Smart money. (a) Money paid by a person to buy himself off from some unpleasant engagement or some painful situation. (b) (Mil.) Money allowed to soldiers or sailors, in the English service, for wounds and injures received; also, a sum paid by a recruit, previous to being sworn in, to procure his release from service. (c) (Law) Vindictive or exemplary damages; damages beyond a full compensation for the actual injury done. Burrill. Greenleaf. — Smart ticket, a certificate given to wounded seamen, entitling them to smart money. [Eng.] Brande & C.
Syn. — Pungent; poignant; sharp; tart; acute; quick; lively; brisk; witty; clever; keen; dashy; showy. — Smart, Clever. Smart has been much used in New England to describe a person who is intelligent, vigorous, and active; as, a smart young fellow; a smart workman, etc., conciding very nearly with the English sense of clever. The nearest approach to this in England is in such expressions as, he was smart (pungent or witty) in his reply, etc.; but smart and smartness, when applied to persons, more commonly refer to dress; as, a smart appearance; a smart gown, etc.
SMARTENSmart"en, v. t.
Defn: To make smart or spruce; — usually with up. [Colloq.]She had to go and smarten herself up somewhat. W. Black.
SMARTLESmar"tle, v. i.
Defn: To waste away. [Prov. Eng.]
SMARTLYSmart"ly, adv.
Defn: In a smart manner.
SMARTNESSSmart"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being smart.
SMARTWEEDSmart"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An acrid plant of the genus Polygonum (P. Hydropiper), which produces smarting if applied where the skin is tender.
SMASHSmash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smashed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Smashing.]Etym: [Cf. Sw. smisk a blow, stroke, smiska to strike, dial. Sw.smaske to kiss with a noise, and E. smack a loud kiss, a slap.]
Defn: To break in pieces by violence; to dash to pieces; to crush.Here everything is broken and smashed to pieces. Burke.
SMASHSmash, v. i.
Defn: To break up, or to pieces suddenly, as the result of collision or pressure.
SMASHSmash, n.
1. A breaking or dashing to pieces; utter destruction; wreck.
2. Hence, bankruptcy. [Colloq.]
SMASHERSmash"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, smashes or breaks things to pieces.
2. Anything very large or extraordinary. [Slang]
3. One who passes counterfeit coin. [Cant, Eng.]
SMATCHSmatch, n. Etym: [OE. smach, smak. See Smack taste.]
Defn: Taste; tincture; smack. [Obs.]Thy life hath had some smatch of honor in it. Shak.
SMATCHSmatch, v. i.
Defn: To smack. [Obs.] Banister (1578).
SMATTER Smat"ter, v. i. Etym: [OE. smateren to make a noise; cf. Sw. smattra to clatter, to crackle, G. schmettern to dash, crash, to warble, quaver.]
1. To talk superficially or ignorantly; to babble; to chatter. Of state affairs you can not smatter. Swift.
2. To have a slight taste, or a slight, superficial knowledge, of anything; to smack.
SMATTERSmat"ter, v. t.
1. To talk superficially about.
2. To gain a slight taste of; to acquire a slight, superficial knowledge of; to smack. Chaucer.
SMATTERSmat"ter, n.
Defn: Superficial knowledge; a smattering.
SMATTERERSmat"ter*er, n.
Defn: One who has only a slight, superficial knowledge; a sciolist.
SMATTERINGSmat"ter*ing, n.
Defn: A slight, superficial knowledge of something; sciolism. I had a great desire, not able to attain to a superficial skill in any, to have some smattering in all. Burton.
SMEAR Smear, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smeared; p. pr. & vb. n. Smearing.] Etym: [OE. smeren, smerien, AS. smierwan, smyrwan, fr. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeren, OHG. smirwen, G. schmieren, Icel. smyrja to anoint. See Smear, n.]
1. To overspread with anything unctuous, viscous, or adhesive; to daub; as, to smear anything with oil. "Smear the sleepy grooms with blood." Shak.
2. To soil in any way; to contaminate; to pollute; to stain morally; as, to be smeared with infamy. Shak.
SMEAR Smear, n. Etym: [OE. smere,. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeer, G. schmeer, OHG. smero, Icel. smjör, Sw. & Dan. smör butter, Goth. smaír fatness, smarna dung; cf. Lith. smarsas fat. Cf. Smirch.]
1. A fat, oily substance; oinment. Johnson.
2. Hence, a spot made by, or as by, an unctuous or adhesive substance; a blot or blotch; a daub; a stain. Slow broke the morn, All damp and rolling vapor, with no sun, But in its place a moving smear of light. Alexander Smith.
SMEARCASE Smear"case`, n. [G. schmierkäse; schmier grease (or schmieren to smear) + käse cheese.]
Defn: Cottage cheese. [Local, U. S.]
SMEAR DABSmear" dab". (Zoöl.)
Defn: The sand fluke (b). [Prov. Eng.]
SMEAREDSmeared, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the color mark ings ill defined, as if rubbed; as, the smeared dagger moth (Apatela oblinita).
SMEARYSmear"y, a.
Defn: Tending to smear or soil; adhesive; viscous. Rowe.
SMEATHSmeath, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The smew. [Prov. Eng.]
SMECTITESmec"tite, n. Etym: [G. smectit, fr. Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A hydrous silicate of alumina, of a greenish color, which, in certain states of humidity, appears transparent and almost gelatinous.
SMEE Smee, n. Etym: [Cf. Smew.] (Zoöl.) (a) The pintail duck. (b) The widgeon. (c) The poachard. (d) The smew. [Prov. Eng.]
SMEETHSmeeth, v. t. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: To smoke; to blacken with smoke; to rub with soot. [Obs.]
SMEETHSmeeth, v. t. Etym: [OE. sme, AS. sm. See Smooth.]
Defn: To smooth. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
SMEGMASmeg"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: The matter secreted by any of the sebaceous glands. Specifically: (a) The soapy substance covering the skin of newborn infants. (b) The cheesy, sebaceous matter which collects between the glans penis and the foreskin.
SMEGMATICSmeg*mat"ic, a.
Defn: Being of the nature of soap; soapy; cleansing; detersive.
SMEIRSmeir, n.
Defn: A salt glaze on pottery, made by adding common salt to an earthenware glaze.
SMELL Smell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smelled, Smelt (; p. pr. & vb. n. Smelling.] Etym: [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, smölen, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.]
1. To perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs of smell; to have a sensation of, excited through the nasal organs when affected by the appropriate materials or qualities; to obtain the scent of; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes.
2. To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; — often with out. "I smell a device." Shak. Can you smell him out by that Shak.
3. To give heed to. [Obs.] From that time forward I began to smellthe Word of God, and forsook the school doctors. Latimer. To smell a rat, to have a sense of something wrong, not clearly evident; to have reason for suspicion. [Colloq.] — To smell out, to find out by sagacity. [Colloq.]
SMELLSmell, v. i.
1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; — often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk.
2. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny. Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft. Milton.
3. To exercise the sense of smell. Ex. xxx. 38.
4. To exercise sagacity. Shak.
SMELLSmell, n. Etym: [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See Smell, v. t.](Physiol.)
1. The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See Sense.
2. The quality of any thing or substance, or emanation therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs; odor; scent; fragrance; perfume; as, the smell of mint. Breathing the smell of field and grove. Milton. That which, above all others, yields the sweetest smell in the air, is the violent. Bacon.
Syn.— Scent; odor; perfume; fragrance.
SMELLERSmell"er, n.
1. One who smells, or perceives by the sense of smell; one who gives out smell.
2. The nose. [Pugilists' Slang]
SMELL-FEASTSmell"-feast`, n.
1. One who is apt to find and frequent good tables; a parasite; a sponger. The epicure and the smell-feast. South.
2. A feast at which the guests are supposed to feed upon the odors only of the viands.
SMELLINGSmell"ing, n.
1. The act of one who smells.
2. The sense by which odors are perceived; the sense of smell. Locke. Smelling bottle, a small bottle filled with something suited to stimulate the sense of smell, or to remove faintness, as spirits of ammonia.
SMELLING SALTSSmell"ing salts.
Defn: An aromatic preparation of carbonate of ammonia and, often, some scent, to avoid or relieve faintness, headache, or the like.
SMELL-LESSSmell"-less, a.
Defn: Destitute of smell; having no odor.Daisies smell-less, yet most quaint. Beau & Fl.
SMELTSmelt, imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Smell.
SMELTSmelt, n. Etym: [AS. smelt, smylt; akin to Dan. smelt.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of small silvery salmonoid fishes of the genus Osmerus and allied genera, which ascend rivers to spawn, and sometimes become landlocked in lakes. They are esteemed as food, and have a peculiar odor and taste.
Note: The most important species are the European smelt (Osmerus eperlans) (called also eperlan, sparling, and spirling), the Eastern American smelt (O. mordax), the California smelt (O. thalichthys), and the surf smelt (Hypomesus olidus). The name is loosely applied to various other small fishes, as the lant, the California tomcod, the spawn eater, the silverside.
2. Fig.: A gull; a simpleton. [Obs.] eau & Fl. Sand smelt (Zoöl.), the silverside.
SMELTSmelt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smelted; p. pr. & vb. n. Smelting.] Etym:[Of foreign origin; cf. Sw. smälta, D. smelten, Dan. smelte, Icel.smelta, G. schmelzen OHG. smelzan, smelzen; probably akin to Gr.Enamel, Melt, Mute, v. i., Smalt.] (Metal.)
Defn: To melt or fuse, as, ore, for the purpose of separating and refining the metal; hence, to reduce; to refine; to flux or scorify; as, to smelt tin.
SMELTERSmelt"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, smelts.
SMELTERYSmelt"er*y, n.
Defn: A house or place for smelting.
SMELTIESmelt"ie, n.
Defn: A fish, the bib. [Prov. Eng.]
SMELTINGSmelt"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Smelt. Smelting furnace (Metal.), a furnace in which ores are smelted or reduced.
SMERKSmerk, n. & v.
Defn: See Smirk.
SMERK; SMERKYSmerk, Smerk"y, a.
Defn: Smart; jaunty; spruce. See Smirk, a. [Obs.]So smerk, so smooth, his pricked ears. Spenser.
SMERLINSmer"lin, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small loach.
SMEW Smew, n. Etym: [Perhaps for ice-mew.] (Zoöl.) (a) small European merganser (Mergus albellus) which has a white crest; — called also smee, smee duck, white merganser, and white nun. (b) The hooded merganser. [Local, U.S.]
SMICKER Smick"er, v. i. Etym: [Akin to Sw. smickra to flatter, Dan. smigre, and perhaps to G. schmeicheln, and E. smile. Cf. Smicker, a.]
Defn: To look amorously or wantonly; to smirk.
SMICKERSmick"er, a. Etym: [AS. smicere tasteful, trim. See Smicker, v.]
Defn: Amorous; wanton; gay; spruce. [Obs.]
SMICKERINGSmick"er*ing, n.
Defn: Amorous glance or inclination. [Obs.] "A smickering to our young lady." Dryden.
SMICKETSmick"et, n. Etym: [Dim. of smock.]
Defn: A woman's under-garment; a smock. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Johnson.
SMICKLYSmick"ly, adv.
Defn: Smugly; finically. [Obs.] Ford.
SMIDDYSmid"dy, n. Etym: [See Smithy.]