Sámos
Sámos, one of the Sporades islands, southeastern Greece, in the Aegean Sea, separated from Turkey by the Sámos Strait.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Sade, Marquis de to Satire
George Isidore Sánchez
Sánchez, George Isidore (1906–72), U.S. educator and spokesman for educational reform in the Spanish community.
São Paulo
São Paulo (pop. 9,480,400), largest city and industrial center of Brazil; capital of São Paulo state, it lies 225 mi (362 km) southwest of Rio de Janeiro.
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, republic in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa, comprising 2 main islands and several islets; total area is 372 sq mi (964 sq km). The capital, São Tomé, lies 190 mi (306 km) west of Libreville, Gabon. São Tomé Island accounts for almost 90% of the country's area and holds about 90% of its po…
Saône River
Saône River, waterway of eastern France.
Marquis de Sade
Sade, Marquis de (Comte Donatien Alphonse Françis de Sade; 1740–1814), French soldier and writer.
Sadi
Sadi See: Saadi.
Moshe Safdie
Safdie, Moshe (1938– ), Israeli architect.
Safety
Safety, protection from harm, injury, or loss.
Safety lamp
Safety lamp, oil-burning lamp used in coal mines that indicates the presence of explosive methane gas without igniting it.
Safety valve
Safety valve, relief device that automatically opens to allow excess pressure to escape.
Safflower
Safflower, thistlelike herb (Carthamus tinctorius) that grows in most warm regions.
Saffron
Saffron, purple-flowered Asian crocus (Crocus sativus) of the iris family; also, the yellow dye extracted from it.
Saga
Saga, epic narrative, in prose or verse, of Old Norse literature (11th to mid-14th century).
Carl Edward Sagan
Sagan, Carl Edward (1934–96), U.S. astronomer, educator, and popular science writer.
Françoise Sagan
Sagan, Françoise (Francoise Quoirez; 1935– ), French novelist best known for the precocious and highly successful Bonjour Tristesse (1954), written when she was 18, and A Certain Smile (1956), both of which deal with the disillusion of gilded youth.
Sage
Sage, aromatic herb or shrub of the mint family.
Russell Sage
Sage, Russell (1816–1906), U.S. financier who amassed a fortune from the wholesale grocery, railroad, and other businesses.
Sagebrush
Sagebrush, small aromatic shrub (genus Artemisia) of the composite family, native to the plains and mountains of western North America.
Sagebrush State
Sagebrush State See: Nevada.
Saginaw
Saginaw (pop. 77,508), city in southern Michigan, seat of Saginaw County, located on the Saginaw River about 85 mi (137 km) northwest of Detroit.
Sago
Sago, starch derived from the coontie or sago palm.
Saguaro
Saguaro, or giant cactus (Cereus giganteus or Carnegiea gigantea), large member of the cactus family native to the deserts of the U.S.
Sahara Desert
Sahara Desert, largest desert in the world, covering about 3,500,000 sq mi (9,065,000 sq km) of North Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, about 3,000 mi (4,830 km) by 1,200 mi (1,930) north to south.
Sahel
Sahel, semiarid region south of the Sahara Desert, extending across north-central Africa from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.
Saigon
Saigon See: Ho Chi Minh City.
Sailfish
Sailfish, food and game fish of the family Istiophoridae, related to the marlin and swordfish.
Sailing
Sailing, popular pastime or sport involving the navigation of a boat powered primarily by wind. The earliest known sailing vessels evolved in the Mediterranean region, particularly among the Upper Nile dwellers of ancient Egypt. These sailboats had a mast with 1 sail hung from a fixed yardarm. The Chinese developed the movable yardarm, which allowed vessels to sail with the wind across their bows …
Saint
Saint, in Christian theology, person preeminent for holiness.
Saint Andrews
Saint Andrews (pop. 16,000), town in eastern Scotland on the North Sea, in the district of Fife, between the firths of Forth and Tay.
Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine (pop. 11,985), city, seat of St.
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day
Saint Bartholomew's Day, Massacre of, the killing of French Huguenots (Protestants) by Roman Catholics, beginning in Paris on Aug. 24, 1572.
Saint Bernard
Saint Bernard, breed of large, stout dog developed as a rescue dog at the Alpine monastery of St.
Saint Bernard Passes
Saint Bernard Passes, routes through the Alps.
Saint Christopher and Nevis
Saint Christopher and Nevis, officially St.
Arthur Saint Clair
Saint Clair, Arthur (1743–1818), U.
Saint Cloud
Saint Cloud (pop. 190,921), city in central Minnesota, seat of Stearns County, located on the Mississippi River about 70 mi (110 km) northwest of Minneapolis.
Saint Croix
Saint Croix, largest island of the U.S.
Ruth Saint Denis
Saint Denis, Ruth (Ruth Dennis; 1878?–1968), U.S. dancer, choreographer, and teacher, whose work strongly influenced modern dance.
Saint Elias Mountains
Saint Elias Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, in eastern Alaska and the southwestern Yukon Territory, Canada.
Saint Elmo's fire
Saint Elmo's fire, glowing electrical discharge seen at the tips of tall, pointed objects—e.g., church spires, ship masts, and airplane wings—in stormy weather.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de (1900–44), French aviator and author.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus (1848–1907), U.S. sculptor famed for his heroic public monuments, including Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Park, Chicago), the Robert G.
Saint George Island
Saint George Island See: Pribilof Islands.
Saint George's
Saint George's (pop. 7,500), capital, chief port, and industrial center of Grenada, in the West Indies.
Treaty of Saint-Germain
Saint-Germain, Treaty of, treaty signed by the United States and other World War I Allies and the Republic of Austria in France (1919–20), limiting Austrian powers and redistributing some of the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Saint Helena
Saint Helena, British island (47 sq mi/122 sq km) in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 mi (1,931 km) west of Africa.
Mount Saint Helens
Saint Helens, Mount See: Mount Saint Helens.
Saint James's Palace
Saint James's Palace, former royal residence (1698–1837), London, England, situated in Pall Mall.
Saint John
Saint John (pop. 76,381), city in eastern Canada, located in southern New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy, at the mouth of the St.
Saint John River
Saint John River, tributary (418 mi/673 km long) that rises in northwestern Maine and flows northeast to New Brunswick, where it makes up about 80 mi (129 km) of the U.S.-Canadian border.
Saint John's
Saint John's (pop. 96,216), largest city and capital of Newfoundland, Canada, situated on a well-protected harbor near the Grand Banks.
Saint-John's-wort
Saint-John's-wort, name generally given to over 400 species of low shrubs of the family Hypericaceae, native to temperate and tropical regions.
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph (pop. 83,083), city in northwest Missouri, located on the east bank of the Missouri River about 55 mi (88.5 km) northwest of Kansas City.
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts See: Saint Christopher and Nevis.
Louis Stephen Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent, Louis Stephen (1882–1973), prime minister of Canada (1948–57).
Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River, largest tributary in Canada, flowing 744 mi (1,197 km) northeast from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St.
Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway
Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway, U.S./Canadian inland waterway for oceangoing vessels connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, and comprising a system of natural waterways, canals, locks, dams, and dredged channels (including the Welland Ship Canal) 2,342 mi (3,769 km) long.
Saint Louis
Saint Louis (pop. 383,700), city in eastern Missouri, on the Mississippi River.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia, independent West Indies island nation (238 sq mi/616 sq km) in the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. St. Lucia, 27 mi (43 km) long and 14 mi (23 km) wide, is of volcanic origin with 1 active volcano. The terrain is hilly, with Morne Gimie reaching 3,145 ft (959 m), and the interior is covered with tropical rain forests. The average annual temperature is 79°F (26°C).…
Basilica of Saint Mark
Saint Mark, Basilica of, cathedral in Venice, Italy, named for the city's patron saint.
Saint Marys River
Saint Marys River, river on the border between Ontario and Michigan that drains Lake Superior, then flows less than 70 mi (110 km) to empty into Lake Huron.
Saint Moritz
Saint Moritz (pop. 5,263), alpine resort town in southeastern Switzerland, Graubünden (Grisons) canton.
Feast of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas, Feast of, festival on Dec. 6 in honor of a 4th-century bishop of Asia Minor.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Saint Patrick's Cathedral, largest U.S.
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, celebrated as the anniversary of the death (c.A.D. 461) of Patrick, Ireland's patron saint.
Saint Paul
Saint Paul (pop. 270,230), capital of Minnesota and seat of Ramsay County, located in the eastern part of the state on the Mississippi River.
Saint Peter's Church
Saint Peter's Church, or Saint Peter's Basilica, church in Vatican City, Rome.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg (pop. 249,900), city on the central west coast of Florida, situated on the Pinellas peninsula opposite Tampa, on Tampa Bay of the Gulf of Mexico.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg See: Leningrad.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre and Miquelon, groups of French islands in the Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland.
Camille Saint-Saëns
Saint-Saëns, Camille (1835–1921), French composer.
Comte de Saint-Simon
Saint-Simon, Comte de (Claude Henri de Rouvroy; 1760–1825), French philosopher and early socialist.
Saint Sophia
Saint Sophia See: Hagia Sophia.
Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas, mountainous, heavily cultivated, tropical island (32 sq mi/83 sq km) of the U.S.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, island nation in the West Indies, part of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea, part of the British Commonwealth. The principal island, St. Vincent (133 sq mi/344 sq km), is of volcanic origin, with a forested, mountainous spine running down the center of the island. It reaches 4,000 ft (1,219 m) at Soufrière, an active volcano peak that erupted in 197…
Saint Vitus's dance
Saint Vitus's dance See: Chorea.
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, village and Roman Catholic shrine in Mont-morency County, southern Quebec, Canada, on the St.
Saintpaulia
Saintpaulia See: African violet.
Saipan
Saipan, island, capital of the Northern Mariana Islands and headquarters of the U.S.
Sake
Sake, or saki, alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.
Sakhalin
Sakhalin (formerly Saghalien), Russian island off the coast of eastern Siberia, in the Sea of Okhotsk, north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Andrei Dmitriyevich Sakharov
Sakharov, Andrei Dmitriyevich (1921–90), Soviet physicist and human-rights proponent.
Saki
Saki See: Munro, Hector Hugh.
Saladin
Saladin (1138–93), Muslim ruler and warrior who fought against the Crusaders.
Salamander
Salamander, tailed amphibian (order Vrodela) related to frogs and toads.
Salamis
Salamis, or Koulouri (Greek, “baker's crescent”), Greek island in the Saronic Gulf (arm of the Aegean Sea between Attica and the Peloponnisos), about 10 mi (16 km) west of Athens.
António de Oliveira Salazar
Salazar, António de Oliveira (1889–1970), dictator of Portugal (1932–68).
Salem
Salem (pop. 38,264), manufacturing city in northeast Massachusetts, seat of Essex County, on an inlet of Massachusetts Bay.
Salem
Salem (pop. 278,024), capital and third-largest city of Oregon, in the fertile Willamette Valley about 50 mi (80.5 km) south of Portland.
Peter Salem
Salem, Peter (1750?–1816), former black slave, American Revolutionary soldier.
Salem witchcraft trials
Salem witchcraft trials, trials held in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1692, as a result of hysteria.
Salerno
Salerno (pop. 147,500), city and tourist center in Campania, on the Gulf of Salerno in southern Italy.
Saint Francis de Sales
Sales, Saint Francis de See: Francis de Sales, Saint.
Salic law
Salic law, from the 14th century, law to prevent women and those descended from female lines from inheriting the throne and other titles and offices.
Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid (C7H6O3), white crystalline solid made from phenol and carbon dioxide.
Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Salinas de Gortari, Carlos (1948– ), president of Mexico (1988–94).
J(erome) D(avid) Salinger
Salinger, J(erome) D(avid) (1919– ), U.S. author.
Salisbury
Salisbury, or New Sarum (pop. 102,500), town in Wiltshire, southern England, 80 mi (130 km) southwest of London.
Salish
Salish, group of Native American tribes of the U.S.
Saliva
Saliva, watery secretion of the salivary glands, partly controlled by the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, that lubricates the mouth and chewed food and begins the breakdown of starches in the digestive process.
Salivary glands
Salivary glands See: Saliva.
Jonas Edward Salk
Salk, Jonas Edward (1914–95), U.S. physician and microbiologist.
Salmon
Salmon, large, silver, soft-finned game and food fish of the family Salmonidae.
Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis, common type of food poisoning caused by the Salmonella bacteria.
Salome
Salome (fl. 1st century A.D.), daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas (governor of Galilee), described in the New Testament (Matthew 14:6–12, Mark 6:22–28).
Haym Salomon
Salomon, Haym (1740–85), Polish-born U.S. financier, patriot, founder of the first Philadelphia synagogue.
Salon
Salon, reception hall or drawing room often used for gatherings of society figures, intellectuals, politicians, or artists and their work.
Salonika
Salonika (pop. 396,300), port city in northern Greece, on the Salonika Gulf, established c.316 B.C., by the Macedonian king Cassander.
Salpiglossis
Salpiglossis See: Painted-tongue.
Salsify
Salsify, or oyster plant (Tragopogon porrifolius), purple flowering plant of the composite family whose edible root has a flavor similar to oysters.
SALT
SALT See: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
Salt
Salt, common name for sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound with an equal number of sodium ions (+) and chlorine ions (−).
chemical Salt
Salt, chemical, compound that is formed by a chemical reaction between an acid and a base.
Salt Lake
Salt Lake See: Great Salt Lake.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (pop. 1,100,000), capital of Utah, seat of Salt Lake County, on the Jordan River in north-central Utah, near the Great Salt Lake.
Susanna Madora Salter
Salter, Susanna Madora (1860–1961), first woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. town (Argonia, Kans.; 1887).
Salton Sea
Salton Sea, large saline lake in southeastern California.
Saltpeter
Saltpeter, or potassium nitrate (KNO3), chemical compound occurring as a colorless crystal or white powder.
Salts
Salts, any of various chemical salts used as agents for cleansing the intestines or as laxatives.
Saluda Dam
Saluda Dam, large, earth-filled dam on the Saluda River, near Columbia, S.C.
Saluki
Saluki, lean, fast-running working hound first bred c.5000 B.C. in Arabia and Egypt to hunt gazelle.
Salute
Salute, formal greeting to honor another person, flag or nation, done by raising the hand to the head, by firing guns or presenting arms.
Salvador
Salvador, or Bahia (pop. 2,056,000), third largest city in Brazil, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Salvage
Salvage, in maritime law, either the rescue of life and property (a ship and its cargo) from danger on water or the reward given by a court to those who effect a rescue (called salvors).
Salvation Army
Salvation Army, nonsectarian, Christian organization founded in London as the Revival Society by William Booth (1865).
Salvia
Salvia, any of various plants (genus Salvia) of the mint family, that thrive in tropical climates.
Salween River
Salween River, or Salwin River, river in eastern Burma, originating in eastern Tibet and flowing south 1,500 mi (2,400 km) to empty into the Bay of Bengal.
Salzburg
Salzburg (pop. 143,900), historic city in central Austria, on the Salzbach River.
Samaria
Samaria, city in ancient central Palestine built by King Omri c.800 B.C. as the capital of northern Israel; also, the region surrounding the city.
Samaritans
Samaritans, members of a religious sect residing in the ancient district of Samaria, central Palestine.
Samarium
Samarium, chemical element, symbol Sm; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Samarkand
Samarkand (pop. 370,000), city in and former capital of Uzbekistan, central Asia.
Samnites
Samnites, ancient tribe of the mountains of southern Italy who fought 3 wars with the Romans (343–341 B.C., 316–304 B.C., 298–290 B.C.) before being conquered and almost totally destroyed.
Samoa
Samoa, chain of 10 islands and several islets in the South Pacific, midway between Honolulu and Sydney.
Samoset
Samoset (1590?–1655), Pemaquid chief who welcomed, assisted, and became a staunch friend of the Plymouth Pilgrims.
Samothrace
Samothrace, mountainous Greek island in the northeastern Aegean Sea.
Samoyed
Samoyed, strong working dog of northern Siberia used to pull sleds and oversee reindeer herds.
Pete Sampras
Sampras, Pete (1971– ), U.S. tennis player, youngest ever to win the men's singles title in the United States Open tennis tournament (1990).
Deborah Sampson
Sampson, Deborah (1760–1827), schoolteacher from Plympton, Mass., who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War.
William Thomas Sampson
Sampson, William Thomas (1840–1902), U.S. admiral, commander of the North Atlantic Squadron in the Spanish-American War.
Samson
Samson, in the Bible, hero in ancient Israel known for his extraordinary strength, which came from his long hair.
Books of Samuel
Samuel, Books of, Old Testament books (known to Catholics as 1 and 2 Kings) that tell of the statesman, general, and prophet Samuel (11th century B.C.).
Paul Anthony Samuelson
Samuelson, Paul Anthony (1915– ), U.S. economist, adviser to Presidents John F.
Samurai
Samurai, hereditary military class of Japan.
San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault, break in the earth's crust running 600 mi (965 km)from Cape Mendocino, northwestern Calif., to the Colorado desert.
San Antonio
San Antonio (pop. 966,400), city in south-central Texas, seat of Bexar County, on the San Antonio River 150 mi (241 km) north of the Gulf of Mexico.
San Blas
San Blas, 4 tribes of about 20,000 Native Americans living on the San Blas Islands off the eastern coast of Panama.
San Diego
San Diego (pop. 1,148,00), city in southern California; seat of San Diego County, located on the Pacific Coast close to the Mexican border.
San Diego Naval Base
San Diego Naval Base, center of operations for many Pacific-based fleet commands.
San Domingo
San Domingo See: Santo Domingo.
San Francisco
San Francisco (pop. 728,900), western California city and seaport on the Pacific coast, on a peninsula between the Pacific and San Francisco Bay. Its economy is based on shipping and shipbuilding, with exports of cotton, grain, lumber, and petroleum products. It is also the financial, cultural, and communications center for the Northwest Coast. The city, noted for its cosmopolitan charm, has many …
San Francisco Conference
San Francisco Conference, conference (April-June 1945) to set up the UN.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, series of connected suspension bridges that join Oakland, California to Buena Yerba Island and Buena Yerba Island to San Francisco.
Battle of San Jacinto
San Jacinto, Battle of, decisive engagement (Apr. 21, 1836) in the war for Texan independence.
San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River, river in central California rising from the junction of 2 forks in the Sierra Nevada, south of Yosemite National Park.
San José
San José (pop. 296,600), capital and largest city of the Central American nation of Costa Rica.
San José
San José (pop. 801,300), western Californian city (incorporated 1850) about 50 mi (80 km) southeast of San Francisco in the Santa Clara Valley, the seat of Santa Clara County.
San Jose scale
San Jose scale (Aspidiotus perniciosus), insect in the armored scale family.
San Juan
San Juan (pop. 434,800), capital and chief port of Puerto Rico on the northeastern coast of the island.
Battle of San Juan Hill
San Juan Hill, Battle of See: Spanish-American War.
San Marino
San Marino, one of the world's smallest republics and possibly the oldest state in Europe, southwest of Rimini, Italy.
José de San Martín
San Martín, José de (1778–1850), Argentine patriot and hero of South American struggles for independence.
San Quentin
San Quentin, California's oldest prison, opened in 1852.
San Salvador
San Salvador (pop. 497,600), capital and largest city of El Salvador, about 25 mi (40 km) from the Pacific Ocean.
Sana
Sana (pop. 427,185), capital and largest city of Yemen, in southern Arabia on a high inland plain.
Sand
Sand, in geology, collection of rock particles with diameters in the range 0.125–2.0 mm.
Sand dollar
Sand dollar (Echinarachnius pama), marine invertebrate animal that lives in the sand in shallow coastal waters.
Sand fly
Sand fly, any of various minute, biting, 2-winged flies (families Psychodidae, Simuliidae, and Ceratopogonidae) found in the southern United States and the tropics.
George Sand
Sand, George (Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin; 1804–76), French novelist.
Sand painting
Sand painting, highly developed art form among the Navajo and Pueblo peoples of the southwestern United States, used in connection with rites of healing.
Sand verbena
Sand verbena, low-growing summer annual plant (genus Abronia) native to western North America.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood, any of several parasitic trees of the family Santalaceae (especially Santalum album), native to India, whose timber exudes a fragrant odor; also, the wood obtained from the trees.
Sandbur
Sandbur, or bur grass, any of several species of prickly weed (genus Cenchrus) that grow in wasteland.
Carl Sandburg
Sandburg, Carl (1878–1967), U.S. poet and biographer who won Pulitzer prizes for Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (1940) and Complete Poems (1951).
Sanderling
Sanderling, shorebird (Calidris alba) belonging to the snipe and sandpiper family.
Sandhill crane
Sandhill crane See: Crane.
Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratories, nuclear weapon research laboratory located in Albuquerque, N.
Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
Sandiford, Lloyd Erskine (1937– ), prime minister of Barbados since 1987.
Sandinistas
Sandinistas, leftist Nicaraguan revolutionary movement that overthrew the Somoza family dictatorship in 1979.
Sandpiper
Sandpiper, any of several small to medium-sized wading birds forming part of the family Scolopacidae and found in all parts of the world.
Sandstone
Sandstone, sedimentary rock consisting of consolidated sand, cemented after deposition by such minerals like quartz, calcite, or hematite or set in a matrix of clay minerals.
Sandstorm
Sandstorm, storm in which wind drives masses of coarse sand through the air a few feet above the ground.
Maria L. Sanford
Sanford, Maria L. (1836–1920), one of the first female professors in the United States.
Frederick Sanger
Sanger, Frederick (1918– ), British biochemist awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on proteins, particularly for first determining the complete structure of bovine insulin (1955).
Margaret Sanger
Sanger, Margaret (1883–1966), U.S. pioneer of birth control and feminism who set up the first birth-control clinic in the United States (1916), founded the National Birth Control League (1917), and helped organize the first international birth-control conference (1927).
Sanhedrin
Sanhedrin, supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court in Roman times.
Sanitation
Sanitation, field of public health dealing with environmental control and the prevention and control of disease.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit, classical language of the Hindu peoples of India and the oldest literary language of the Indo-European family of languages.
Santa Ana
Santa Ana (pop. 239,000), second-largest city in El Salvador.
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Santa Anna, Antonio López de (1794–1876), Mexican general and dictator who tried to suppress the Texan revolution and fought U.S. troops in the Mexican War.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus Christmastide bearer of gifts to children.
Santa Fe
Santa Fe (pop. 117,043), capital of New Mexico and seat of Santa Fe County, in the north-central part of the state on the Santa Fe River.
Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail, overland trade route between the western part of Missouri and Santa Fe, N.M., in use from its opening (1821) until the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad (1880).
Santa María
Santa María See: Columbus, Christopher.
George Santayana
Santayana, George (1863–1952), Spanish-born U.S. philosopher, writer, and critic.
Santiago
Santiago (pop. 4,600,000), capital and principal industrial, commercial, and cultural city of Chile, on the Mapocho River.
Santiago
Santiago (pop. 278,600), second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, lying on the Yanque del Norte River.
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba (pop. 405,000), second-largest city in Cuba, founded in 1514 by Diego de Velazquez de Cuellar, and capital of Oriente province.
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo (pop. 1,410,000), capital and chief port of the Dominican Republic, at the mouth of the Ozama River.
University of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, University of, oldest university in the Western Hemisphere, located in the Dominican Republic.
Santos
Santos (pop. 428,500), one of Brazil's major port cities, and the world's leading coffee port.
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Santos-Dumont, Alberto (1873–1932), aviation pioneer in both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air machines.
Raffaello Sanzio
Sanzio, Raffaello See: Raphael.
Sap
Sap, in botany, the watery fluid in the stems and roots of plants.
Edward Sapir
Sapir, Edward (1884–1939), U.S. anthropologist, poet, and linguist, whose most important work was on the relation between language and the culture of which it is a product.
Sapodilla
Sapodilla, evergreen tree (Achras zapota) found in tropical America; also, the fruit of the tree.
Saponin
Saponin See: Soapberry.
Sapphire
Sapphire, any gem variety of the mineral corundum (except those that are red, which are called ruby); blue sapphires are best known, but most other colors of the spectrum are included.
Sappho
Sappho (6th century B.C.), Greek poet born in Lesbos.
Sapporo
Sapporo (pop. 1,704,100), capital of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.
Saprophyte
Saprophyte, plant that gets its food from dead and decaying material.
Sapsucker
Sapsucker, bird of the woodpecker family.
Saracens
Saracens, Muslims who invaded parts of the Christian world in Asia, Africa, and Europe from the 600s to the 1000s.
Saragossa
Saragossa (pop. 594,400), industrial and trading center located in northeast Spain.
Sarah
Sarah See: Ishmael; Isaac.
Sarajevo
Sarajevo (pop. 415,600), capital and cultural center of Bosnia and Hercegovina.
Saranac Lakes
Saranac Lakes, group of lakes in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern New York.
Sarasota
Sarasota (pop. 277,776), city in southwestern Florida, on the Sarasota Bay of the Gulf of Mexico.
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs (pop. 23,906), city in eastern New York, in the southeastern foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.
Saratov
Saratov (pop. 909,000), one of the chief ports on the Volga River.
Sarawak
Sarawak, state of Malaysia on the northwestern coast of Borneo.
Gene Sarazen
Sarazen, Gene (Eugene Saraceni; 1902– ), U.S. golfer.
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis, chronic disease characterized by fibrous and inflammatory nodules principally affecting lymph glands, skin, lungs, and bones, but arising in any tissue of the body.
Sarcoma
Sarcoma, form of tumor derived from connective tissue, usually of mesodermal origin in embryology.
Sarcophagus
Sarcophagus, stone coffin.
Sardine
Sardine, name for the young of members of the herring family, particularly the European sardine, or pitchard (Sardina pilchardus).
Sardinia
Sardinia, Italian island in the Mediterranean, 120 mi (193 km) to the west of mainland Italy and just south of Corsica.
Kingdom of Sardinia
Sardinia, Kingdom of, kingdom founded in 1720 when the Treaty of London awarded the island of Sardinia to Savoy.
Sardis
Sardis, capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia.
Sardonyx
Sardonyx, form of the mineral quartz.
Sargasso Sea
Sargasso Sea, oval area in the North Atlantic, of special interest as the spawning ground of American eels, many of whose offspring drift across the Atlantic to form the European eel population.
John Singer Sargent
Sargent, John Singer (1856–1935), U.S. painter famous for his many flattering portraits of high-society figures in the United States and United Kingdom.
Sargon of Akkad
Sargon of Akkad, king who founded the first great empire in history c. 2300 B.C.
Sark
Sark, one of the Channel Islands and the smallest self-governing unit in the United Kingdom.
José Sarney
Sarney, José (1930– ), Brazilian politician, president (1985–90).
David Sarnoff
Sarnoff, David (1891–1971), Russian-born U.S. radio and television pioneer.
William Saroyan
Saroyan, William (1908–81), U.S. author known for combining patriotism with emotional idealism.
May Sarton
Sarton, May (1912– ), U.S. writer.
Jean-Paul Sartre
Sartre, Jean-Paul (1905–80), French philosopher, novelist, and playwright, exponent of existentialism.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan, 1 of the 3 prairie provinces of Canada. The principal wheat-growing province, it produces about one-third of the nation's wheat. It is also a rich source of minerals such as potash and petroleum. Most of Saskatchewan's resources are processed within the province. Saskatchewan can be divided into 2 major portions: the Canadian Shield, which covers the northern third of t…
Saskatchewan River
Saskatchewan River, river system in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada.
Saskatoon
Saskatoon (pop. 210,000), largest city of the province of Saskatchewan, on the South Saskatchewan River, western Canada.
Sassafras
Sassafras, tree (Sassafras albidum) of the laurel family, found in the eastern half of North America.
Siegfried Sassoon
Sassoon, Siegfried (1886–1967), English poet and novelist.
Satellite
Satellite, in astronomy, celestial object that revolves with or around a large celestial object.
artificial Satellite
Satellite, artificial, object placed in orbit as a satellite. First seriously proposed in the 1920s, they were impracticable until large enough rockets were developed. The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the USSR on Oct. 8, 1957, and was soon followed by a host of others, mainly from the USSR and the United States, but also from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, West Germa…
Erik Satie
Satie, Erik (Eric Alfred Leslie Satie; 1866–1925), French composer and pianist.
Satinwood
Satinwood, East Indian tree (Chloroxylon swietenia) or shrub of the citrus family.
Satire
Satire, in literature or cartoons, on stage or screen, use of broad humor, parody, and irony to ridicule a subject.