Eisaku Sato
Sato, Eisaku (1901–75), prime minister of Japan (1964–72).
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Sato, Eisaku to Serra, Junípero
Saturation
Saturation, in chemistry and physics, term applied to a state in which further increase in a variable above a critical value produces no increase in a resultant effect.
Saturn
Saturn, in early Roman mythology, god of fertility and planting, eventually identified with the Greek god Cronus as father of Jupiter, Juno, Ceres, Pluto, and Neptune.
Saturn
Saturn, second-largest planet in the Solar System, the sixth from the sun. Until the discovery of Uranus (1781), Saturn was the outermost planet known. It orbits the sun in 29.46 years at a mean distance of 886.7 million mi (1.427 billion km). Saturn has the lowest density of any planet in the Solar System, less than that of water, and may contain over 60% hydrogen by mass. Its total mass i…
Saturnalia
Saturnalia, in ancient Rome, festival honoring Saturn, god of fertility and planting.
Satyr
Satyr, in Greek mythology, male spirit of the forests and mountains, often shown as part man and part goat, with hooves, tail, and pointed ears.
flying Saucer
Saucer, flying See: Unidentified flying object.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, desert kingdom occupying most of the Arabian Peninsula of southwestern Asia. Parts of the frontiers of Saudi Arabia have yet to be accurately determined. Estimates of the country's area vary from about 830,000 sq mi (2,149,700 sq km) to 927,000 sq mi (2,400,930 sq km). It is bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait; on the east by the United Arab Emirates, the Persian…
Sauk
Sauk, or Sac, Native American tribe of the Algonquian language group.
Saul
Saul, first king of Israel (1000 B.C.).
Sault Sainte Marie
Sault Sainte Marie (pop. 80,900), French settlement founded (1668) on the north bank of the St.
Saurischian
Saurischian See: Dinosaur.
Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé
Sauvé, Jeanne Mathilde (1922– ), first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons (1980–84) and governor general (representative of the British monarch; 1984–89) of Canada.
Savanna
Savanna, tropical grassland of South America and particularly Africa, lying between equatorial forests and dry deserts.
Savannah
Savannah, name of 2 historic U.S. steamships.
Savannah
Savannah (pop. 147,000), port city in southeastern Georgia near the mouth of the Savannah River, seat of Chatham County.
Savannah River
Savannah River, river forming the Georgia-South Carolina border, arising from the confluence of the Tugaloo and Seneca rivers and flowing southeast into the Atlantic Ocean.
Savings bank
Savings bank, financial institution that encourages saving by individual depositors, paying them interest or dividends, while providing funds to borrowers, who pay interest.
Savings bond
Savings bond, interest-bearing bond issued to an individual by the government in specific denominations, functioning as a loan to the government for a fixed term.
Savings and loan association
Savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution (formerly, building and loan association), U.S. financial institution that accepts private savings of depositors, investing them primarily in home mortgages. Such institutions, the first of which was founded in Pennsylvania in 1831, originally were mutual, that is, owned and operated by the depositors. They are now predominantly capi…
Girolamo Savonarola
Savonarola, Girolamo (1452–98), Italian religious reformer.
Savoy
Savoy, powerful dynasty of northwestern Italy that at times ruled portions of Italy, France, and Switzerland.
Saw
Saw, cutting tool consisting of a flat blade or circular disk, having on its edge a row of sharp teeth of various designs, usually set alternately.
Saw Maung
Saw Maung (1928– ), president of the Union of Myanmar (Burma, 1988–92).
Sawfish
Sawfish, any of a family (Pristidae) of sharklike fish having “saws” of cartilage set with 2 rows of teeth on their snouts.
Sawfly
Sawfly, insect related to the wasps.
Saxifrage
Saxifrage, any of a genus (Saxifraga) of small rock plants whose leaves grow in a rosette at the base of the stem and whose flowers grow in clusters at the tip of the stem.
Saxons
Saxons, Germanic people who, with the Angles and the Jutes, founded settlements in Britain from A.D. 450 supplanting the Celts.
Saxony
Saxony, state in eastern Germany.
Saxophone
Saxophone, brass musical instrument, classified as a woodwind since its sound is produced by blowing through a reed.
Dorothy Sayers
Sayers, Dorothy (1893–1957), English writer of detective stories and creator of the popular, impeccably aristocratic and erudite Lord Peter Whimsey.
Scabies
Scabies, infectious skin disease caused by a mite (Sarcoptes scabiei) that burrows under the skin, often of the hands or feet; it causes an intensely itchy skin condition that is partly due to allergy to the mite.
Scalawag
Scalawag, in U.S. history, derisive term employed by Southern Democrats for Southern whites who cooperated with Republican Reconstruction governments after the Civil War.
Scale insect
Scale insect, any of various small insects of the order Homoptera (especially family Coccidae) with a flattened body covered by a layer, or “scale,” of waxy secretion.
weighing Scale
Scale, weighing, instrument for measuring weight.
Antonin Scalia
Scalia, Antonin (1936– ), U.S.
Scallop
Scallop, bivalve mollusk (family Pectinidae) distinguished by a shell whose valves are rounded, with a series of ribs radiating across the surface in relief.
Scandinavia
Scandinavia, region of northwestern Europe.
Scandinavian literature
Scandinavian literature, literature of Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) and usually including Finland and Iceland, from the end of the Viking Age (c.1100) to the present. The peoples of Scandinavia speak closely related North Germanic languages, except those of Finland, whose language is related to Hungarian. Early literature of the 12th and 13th centuries captured works of the oral tradi…
Scandium
Scandium, chemical element, symbol Sc; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Scapegoat
Scapegoat, in the Old Testament (Leviticus 16:8), goat designated by the Jewish high priest on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) to bear the sins of the people and to be sent out into the wilderness.
Scar
Scar, mark resulting from the healing of a wound or disease process in a tissue, especially the skin.
Scarab
Scarab, family (Scarabaeidae) of beetles that includes the dung beetles, chafers, and dor beetles.
Scarlatti
Scarlatti, name of 2 Italian composers of the baroque period.
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever, infectious disease caused by certain strains of streptococcus.
Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht
Schacht, Hjalmar Horace Greeley (1877–1970), German financier and banker.
George Beals Schaller
Schaller, George Beals (1933– ), U.S. zoologist and advocate for the protection of endangered species.
Andrew Victor Schally
Schally, Andrew Victor (1926– ), Polish-born U.S. medical researcher who shared the 1977 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Rosalyn S.
Meyer Schapiro
Schapiro, Meyer (1904– ), Lithuanian-born U.S. art historian and critic.
Arthur Schawlow
Schawlow, Arthur (1921– ), U.S. physicist who did pioneering work in the 1950s that led to the construction of the first laser.
Schechterv. United States
Schechterv.
Carl Wilhelm Scheele
Scheele, Carl Wilhelm (1742–86), Swedish pharmacist and chemist.
Schelde River
Schelde River, important navigable waterway of northwestern Europe.
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling
Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von (1775–1854), German philosopher.
Scherzo
Scherzo (Italian, “joke”), light, lively musical composition.
Egon Schiele
Schiele, Egon (1890–1918), Austrian artist.
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller
Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von (1759–1805), German playwright, poet, writer on philosophy, history, and aesthetics. Schiller's highly successful early plays, including The Robbers (1781) and Don Carlos (1787), articulated his violent opposition to tyranny. In Weimar he became professor at the Univ. of Jena (1789) and married writer Charlotte von Lengefeld. At this time he a…
Schipperke
Schipperke (Flemish; “little skipper”), Belgian breed of dog once used to guard canal barges.
Walter Marty Schirra Jr.
Schirra, Walter Marty, Jr. (1923– ), U.S. astronaut, 1959–69.
Great Schism
Schism, Great See: Pope.
Schist
Schist, common group of metamorphic rocks that have acquired a high degree of schistosity, i.e., the parallel arrangement of sheety, or prismatic, minerals resulting from regional metamorphism.
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis, or bilharziasis, parasitic disease caused by the schistosome, a type of flatworm.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia (formerly called dementia praecox), type of psychosis characterized by confusion of identity, hallucinations, delusion, and illogical thought.
Schlesinger
Schlesinger, name of 2 famous 20th-century U.S. historians.
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein, state in northern Germany, 6,046 sq mi (15,660 sq km) bordering Denmark.
Heinrich Schliemann
Schliemann, Heinrich (1822–90), German archeologist, best known for his discoveries of Troy (1871–90) and Mycenae (1876–78).
Schmalkaldic League
Schmalkaldic League, alliance of German Protestant states during the Reformation, formed in 1531 for defense against the Catholic Holy Roman emperor Charles V.
Helmut Schmidt
Schmidt, Helmut (1918– ), chancellor of West Germany (1974–82).
Harrison Hagan Schmitt
Schmitt, Harrison Hagan (1935– ), geologist, astronaut, politician.
Schnauzer
Schnauzer See: Giant schnauzer; Miniature schnauzer; Standard schnauzer.
Arthur Schnitzler
Schnitzler, Arthur (1862–1931), Austrian playwright.
Arnold Schoenberg
Schoenberg, Arnold (1874–1951), German composer, theorist, and teacher who revolutionized music by introducing serial, or 12-tone, music.
John McAllister Schofield
Schofield, John McAllister (1831–1906), U.S.
Scholarship
Scholarship, grant-in-aid awarded to a student.
Scholasticism
Scholasticism, philosophical system of medieval Church teachers, or scholastics, who applied philosophic (primarily Aristotelian) ideas to Christian doctrine.
Martin Schongauer
Schongauer, Martin (1450?–91),German painter and engraver.He was one of the first engravers to use copper plates, and his delicate, skillful work influenced Albrecht Dürer and other German artists.
School
School, institution whose primary purpose is to impart knowledge. The most numerous and the most important kinds of schools are those used to educate the young, from early childhood to early adulthood, preparing them for the roles they will play in society, the economy, and in political life. Schools provide students with knowledge, from the basics of reading, writing, and reasoning, to the most s…
Arthur Schopenhauer
Schopenhauer, Arthur (1788–1860), German philosopher, noted for his doctrine of the will.
Erwin Schrödinger
Schrödinger, Erwin (1887–1961), Austrian-born Irish physicist and philosopher of science who shared with Paul Dirac the 1933 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of the Schrödinger wave equation, describing the wavelike behavior of electrons, which is of fundamental importance in studies of quantum mechanics.
John Robert Schrieffer
Schrieffer, John Robert (1931– ), U.S. physicist who shared with Leon Cooper and John Bardeen the 1972 Nobel Prize in physics for their work on superconductivity.
Franz Peter Schubert
Schubert, Franz Peter (1797–1828), Viennese composer.
Charles Monroe Schulz
Schulz, Charles Monroe (1922– ), U.S. cartoonist, creator of “Peanuts.” The “Peanuts” series, which Schulz began in 1950, is about young children but appeals to adults as well in its benign humor and insight into human foibles.
Robert Schuman
Schuman, Robert (1886–1963), French politician.
William Schuman
Schuman, William (1910–92), U.S. composer.
Clara Schumann
Schumann, Clara (1819–96), German pianist and composer.
Robert (Alexander) Schumann
Schumann, Robert (Alexander) (1810–56), German composer and critic, a leader of the romantic movement.
Joseph Alois Schumpeter
Schumpeter, Joseph Alois (1883–1950), Moravian-born U.S. economist.
Schurz
Schurz, name of German-born U.S. couple prominent in public life.
Philip John Schuyler
Schuyler, Philip John (1733–1804), American soldier and politician who served as major-general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River, river rising in east-central Pennsylvania and flowing southeast 130 mi (210 km) into the Delaware River near Philadelphia.
Delmore Schwartz
Schwartz, Delmore (1913–66), U.S. poet admired for his rhapsodic yet philosophic style.
Melvin Schwartz
Schwartz, Melvin (1932– ), U.S. physicist.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth (1915– ), German soprano noted for performances in Mozart and Strauss operas in Europe, and later for her expressive Lieder recitals there and in the United States.
H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Schwarzkopf, H.
Albert Schweitzer
Schweitzer, Albert (1875–1965), German physician, theologian, missionary, musician, and philosopher.
Julian Seymour Schwinger
Schwinger, Julian Seymour (1918– ), U.S. physicist who shared with Richard P.
Sciatica
Sciatica, pain in the distribution of the sciatic nerve in the leg caused by compression or irritation of the nerve.
Science
Science, systematic study of nature and of individual and social human behavior. Science is distinguished from other intellectual disciplines, like the arts and humanities, by several key characteristics. It is based upon observation, either by the unaided senses or with the help of instruments that increase the power of the senses, like microscopes or telescopes. Science requires the careful coll…
Science fiction
Science fiction, literary genre based on speculation about scientific or social development.
Science project
Science project, independent project in which the student studies, explores, and demonstrates principles of science.
Scientific creationism
Scientific creationism, belief that current forms of life did not evolve from simpler forms over millions of years but were created more or less as they exist now.
Scientology
Scientology, religio-scientific movement stressing self-redemption, which originated in the United States in the 1950s and was incorporated as a church in 1965.
Publius Cornelius Scipio
Scipio, Publius Cornelius (Scipio Africanus Major, Scipio the Elder; 234?–183? B.C.), Roman general.
Scissors
Scissors, cutting tool made of 2 metal blades joined at a pivot point.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis, curvature of the spine to one side, with twisting.
Stone of Scone
Scone, Stone of, ceremonial stone in Westminster Abbey, London, on which British monarchs are crowned.
Scopes trial
Scopes trial, 1925 prosecution of a biology teacher, John T.
Scopolamine
Scopolamine, or hyoscine, alkaloid drug derived from plants of the Solenaceae (nightshade) family (especially genus Scopolia) and used as a depressant.
Scorpion
Scorpion, any of an order (Scorpionida) of terrestrial arachnids having two claws held in front of the head and a stinging tail curled forward over the back.
Scorpionfly
Scorpionfly, harmless insect (family Panorpidae) with transparent or colored wings and long, dangling legs.
Martin Scorsese
Scorsese, Martin (1942– ), U.S. film director.
Scotland
Scotland, former kingdom now part of the United Kingdom. It is bounded by England in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, and the North Sea in the east. Covering northern Britain and the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland islands, Scotland is 30,414 sq mi (78,772 sq km) in area. It is divided into 3 main land regions: the Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. Great…
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard, headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the London Metropolitan Police since 1829.
Barbara Ann Scott
Scott, Barbara Ann (1928– ), Canadian figure skater.
Robert Falcon Scott
Scott, Robert Falcon (1868–1912), English explorer remembered for his fatal attempt, on his second antarctic expedition, to be the first to reach the South Pole.
Sir Walter Scott
Scott, Sir Walter (1771–1832), Scottish poet and the foremost romantic novelist in the English language.
Winfield Scott
Scott, Winfield (1786–1866), U.S. political and military leader, known as “Old Fuss and Feathers” for his obsession with procedure and detail and for his elaborate uniforms.
Scottish deerhound
Scottish deerhound, dog bred by the Scottish nobility since the 16th century to hunt deer.
Scottish terrier
Scottish terrier, or Scottie, breed of dog with short legs, stocky body, large head, and a gray, tan, or black wiry coat.
Scottsboro Cases
Scottsboro Cases, U.S. legal cases involving nine black youths accused in 1931 of raping two white women on a freight train in Alabama.
Scottsdale
Scottsdale (pop. 88,622), city in south-central Arizona and now a suburb of Phoenix.
Scotus
Scotus See: Duns Scotus, John.
Scouring rush
Scouring rush See: Horsetail.
Scout
Scout See: Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts and Girl Guides.
Scranton
Scranton (pop. 88,117), city in northeastern Pennsylvania, situated on the Lackawanna River near the Pocono Mountains.
William Warren Scranton
Scranton, William Warren (1917– ), entrepreneur and politician, governor of Pennsylvania, 1963–67.
Screw
Screw, simple machine consisting of a cylindrical or conical body around which is wrapped a spiral plane or thread, and used as a fastener, propeller, and part of many more complex machines.
Alexander Scriabin
Scriabin, Alexander (1872–1915), Russian composer and pianist.
Scribe
Scribe (Latin scrivere, “to write”), person hired to write out letters, books, and documents by hand.
Augustin Eugène Scribe
Scribe, Augustin Eugène (1791–1861), French playwright and opera librettist.
Scribner
Scribner, family name of U.S. book publishers.
Edward Wyllis Scripps
Scripps, Edward Wyllis (1854–1926), U.S. newspaper publisher, founder of the first newspaper chain and of the wire service that eventually became United Press International (UPI).
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, center for advanced study and research in oceanography, in La Jolla, Calif.
Scrofula
Scrofula, tuberculosis of the lymph nodes of the neck, usually acquired by drinking infected milk.
Scruple
Scruple, in the system of apothecaries' weights, unit equal to 20 grains (1.296 g).
Scuba diving
Scuba diving See: Diving, deep-sea; Skin diving.
Sculpin
Sculpin, bullhead, or sea scorpion, family of bottom-dwelling fishes (Cottidae) distinguished by a long body, large, wide head, and spiny gills and dorsal fin.
Sculpture
Sculpture, artistic creation of three-dimensional forms in materials such as stone, metal, wood, or even foam rubber. …
Scurvy
Scurvy, disease caused by the gross deficiency of vitamin C.
Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis, in Greek mythology, perils faced by Odysseus in the Straits of Messina.
Sea anemone
Sea anemone, cylindrical marine polyp with a ring of tentacles, belonging to the division of the animal kingdom known as Cnideria, or Coelenterata.
Sea COW
Sea COW, any of an order (Sirenia) of tropical, herbivorous, aquatic mammals.
Sea cucumber
Sea cucumber, any of a class (Holothuroidea) of sea animal of the echinoderm group, which also contains sea urchins and starfish.
Sea elephant
Sea elephant See: Seal.
Sea fan
Sea fan, colony of coral animals called polyps (genus Gorgonia) common to shallow, warm waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Sea gull
Sea gull See: Gull.
Sea Islands
Sea Islands, chain of more than 100 islands off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Sea lily
Sea lily, delicate, deep-sea echinoderm (class Crinoidea) shaped like a plant.
Sea lion
Sea lion, fin-footed seal (family Otariidae) differing from the true seals in having external ears and an almost hairless body.
Sea onion
Sea onion See: Squill.
Sea otter
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), marine mammal of the weasel family that lives near shores in the North Pacific Ocean.
Sea serpent
Sea serpent, in myths and legends from many parts of the world, large, snakelike sea animal.
Sea squirt
Sea squirt, any of a group of marine animals (class Ascidiacea), also known as ascidians, that squirt water when squeezed.
Sea urchin
Sea urchin, any of a class (Echinoidea) of spiny marine animals related to the starfish and the sand dollar, occurring worldwide.
Seabees
Seabees (from CB, Construction Battalion), members of the U.S.
Glenn Theodore Seaborg
Seaborg, Glenn Theodore (1912– ), U.S. physicist who shared the 1951 Nobel Prize for physics with E.M.
Seahorse
Seahorse, small marine fish of the Syngnathidae family (genus Hippocampus) found mostly in tropical waters, the head and forepart of which strongly resemble the head and neck of a horse.
Seal
Seal, stamping device with an inscription or emblem in relief or cut into its surface, used to make impressions in wax, paper, or other materials, for certification or authentication of documents. “Seal” also refers to the impression made, as well as to the proprietary design itself.
Seal
Seal, fin-footed mammal of the order Pinnipedia, which includes both the sea lions (family Otariidae) and the true seals (Phocidae).
Sealing wax
Sealing wax, wax once used for sealing letters and still used for taking impressions from seals and for sealing bottles.
Sealyham terrier
Sealyham terrier, short-legged dog originally bred in 19th-century Wales for hunting small burrowing animals.
Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman
Seaman, Elizabeth Cochrane See: Bly, Nellie.
Search warrant
Search warrant, in law, court order issued to give law officers the authority to enter and search private premises for evidence, persons, contraband goods, or illegal equipment, such as counterfeiting machinery. “Unreasonable searches and seizures” are forbidden in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S.
Roebuck Sears and Company
Sears, Roebuck and Company, large U.S. retail firm.
Sears Tower
Sears Tower, in Chicago, Ill., tallest building (1,454 ft/443 m) in the world.
Seashore
Seashore, land at the edge of a sea, alternately submerged and exposed by the tides.
Season
Season, one of several divisions of the year, characterized by cyclical changes in the predominant weather pattern.
SEATO
SEATO See: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
Seattle
Seattle (pop. 519,600), largest city in Washington, situated on hills between Elliott Bay (Puget Sound) and Lake Washington; seat of King County.
Seaweed
Seaweed, algae found around coasts from the shore to fairly deep water.
Saint Sebastian
Sebastian, Saint (d.
Sebastopol
Sebastopol See: Sevastopol.
Secession
Secession, in U.S. history, withdrawal of the Southern states from the Federal Union, 1860–1.
Second
Second, measurement of time and angles in the metric system.
United States Secret Service
Secret Service, United States, branch of the U.S.
Secretariat
Secretariat, U.S. thoroughbred racehorse.
Secretary bird
Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), tall bird of prey of the dry African plains.
Secretion
Secretion, complex substance produced in certain cells or glands in the body and discharged into or expelled from the body; also, the process of forming and discharging the substance.
Securities Exchange Act
Securities Exchange Act, U.S. law passed in 1934.
Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), independent agency of the U.S. government set up in 1934 to protect investors in securities (stocks and bonds).
Security Council
Security Council See: United Nations.
Sedative
Sedative, any of several drugs that reduce anxiety and induce relaxation without causing sleep.
James Alexander Seddon
Seddon, James Alexander (1815–80), U.S. politician, Confederate secretary of war (1862–65).
Sedge
Sedge, any of afamily (Cyperaceae) of grasslike plants found in damp places worldwide in temperate regions.
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock, one of three main rock classes of the earth's crust; the others are igneous rock and metamorphic rock.
Sedition
Sedition, incitement of the violent overthrow of the government.
Sedum
Sedum, genus of succulent plants of the Crassulaceae family.
Holy See
See, Holy See: Pope.
Seed
Seed, mature reproductive body of angiosperms and gymnosperms (seed-bearing plants). It also represents a resting stage that enables plants to survive through unfavorable conditions. Seeds develop from the fertilized ovule. Each seed is covered with a tough coat called a testa, and contains a young plant or embryo. In most seeds three main regions of embryo can be recognized: a radicle, which give…
Alan Seeger
Seeger, Alan (1888–1916), U.S. poet.
Pete Seeger
Seeger, Pete (1919– ), U.S. folksinger and conservation activist.
Seeing Eye dog
Seeing Eye dog, animal trained to guide the blind.
George Segal
Segal, George (1924– ), U.S. sculptor.
Sego lily
Sego lily, one of the mariposa lilies (Calochortus nuttallii) native to the dry areas of western North America.
Andrés Segovia
Segovia, Andrés (1893–1987), Spanish classical guitarist, most celebrated of modern players.
Segregation
Segregation, separation of people according to race, religion, or ethnic origin. Custom or law may restrict the group's place of residence, use of public facilities and institutions, employment, movement, ownership of property, marriage, and the exercise of citizenship. Segregation has occurred throughout history and in most multiracial societies, especially those in which one group has sei…
Seiche
Seiche, standing wave that occurs in a lake, bay, or similar basin.
Jaroslav Seifert
Seifert, Jaroslav (1901–85), Czechoslovakian poet who was awarded the 1984 Nobel Prize for literature.
Seigneurial system
Seigneurial system, feudal system of landholding practiced in France and in the French colonies in eastern Canada.
Seine River
Seine River, France's principal waterway.
Seismograph
Seismograph, instrument used to detect and record seismic waves caused by earthquakes, nuclear explosions, etc.; the record it produces is a seismogram.
Seismology
Seismology, branch of geophysics concerned with the study of earthquakes, seismic waves and their propagation through the earth's interior.
Haile Selassie
Selassie, Haile See: Haile Selassie.
Selective Service System
Selective Service System See: Draft, military.
Selene
Selene, in Greek mythology, goddess of the moon, called Luna in Roman mythology.
Selenium
Selenium, chemical element, symbol Se; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Seleucid dynasty
Seleucid dynasty (312–64 B.C.), dynasty in southwestern Asia, founded by Seleucus I (c.358–354 B.C.–218 B.C.).
Seljuks
Seljuks, members of the ruling family of Ouz Turkmen tribes.
Selkirk Mountains
Selkirk Mountains, subdivision of the Columbia Mountains and considered part of the Rocky Mountain system.
Hans Selye
Selye, Hans (1907–82), Austrian-born Canadian physician best known for his work on the physiological effects of environmental stress, which he suggested might cause certain diseases.
Semantics
Semantics, study of meaning, concerned both with understanding the relationship of words and symbols to the ideas or objects that they represent and with tracing the histories of meanings and changes that have taken place in them.
Semaphore
Semaphore, system of visual signaling using flags or lights to represent letters and numbers.
Semiconductor
Semiconductor, solid with an electrical conductivity that lies between the high conductivity of metals and the low conductivity of insulators.
Seminole
Seminole, last Native American tribe to make peace with the U.S. government.
Semiramis
Semiramis, mythical Assyrian queen who supposedly founded the city of Babylon.
Semites
Semites, in the Old Testament, the “sons of Shem” (who was the son of Noah).
Semitic languages
Semitic languages, group of the Hamito-Semitic language family found in the Near East and North Africa.
Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis
Semmelweis, Ignaz Philipp (1818–65), Hungarian obstetrician.
Senate
Senate, one of the two lawmaking bodies in the United States.
Maurice Sendak
Sendak, Maurice (1928– ), U.S. illustrator and author of children's books whose inventive renderings both delight and startle.
Seneca
Seneca, Native American tribe (O-non-dowanagh, “people of the great hill”) of western New York and eastern Ohio, once the largest nation of the Iroquois League (5 tribes that banded together in the 1400s).
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus (4 B.C.?–A.D.65), Roman statesman, philosopher, and writer.
Alois Senefelder
Senefelder, Alois (1771–1834), German lithographer.
Senegal
Senegal, westernmost country in Africa, formerly part of French West Africa. Bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal is flanked on the north by Mauritania, on the east by Mali, and on the south by Guinea. The small independent country of Gambia cuts deeply into southern Senegal from the Atlantic coast, forming a long, narrow enclave along the Gambia River. Senegal has an area of 75,955 sq mi (196…
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Senghor, Léopold Sédar (1906– ), Senegalese statesman and poet, Senegal's first president (1960–80), and first black member of the French academy (1984).
Senility
Senility, general mental and physical deterioration often (but not always) seen in the elderly.
Senna
Senna (Cassia marilandica), perennial plant of which the leaves are used for medicinal purposes.
Sennacherib
Sennacherib (d.681 B.C.; r.704–681 B.C.), Assyrian king who succeeded his father, Sargon II.
Mack Sennett
Sennett, Mack (1884–1960), Canadian-born U.S. silent movie director-producer, a pioneer of slapstick humor on the screen.
Senses
Senses, media through which stimuli in the environment of an organism act on the organism (external senses); also, the internal senses, which report on the the internal state of the organism (through thirst, hunger, pain, etc.).
Sensitive plant
Sensitive plant, small shrub (Mimosa pudica) of the pea family.
Sensitivity training
Sensitivity training, technique using group discussion and interaction intended to increase one's awareness of self and others and how one behaves with others. Sensitivity training takes many forms and goes by many names: encounter group, T-group, human relations, and group dynamics training. The group has 8–20 participants. The leader, who is trained in psychotherapy, establishes a …
Seoul
Seoul (pop. 10,612,600), or Kyongsong, capital, largest city, and industrial and cultural center of South Korea, on the Han River, 25 mi (40 km) east of Inchon, its seaport.
Separation of powers
Separation of powers, political theory developed by Montesquieu from his studies of the British constitution, arguing that the arbitrary exercise of government power should be avoided by dividing it between distinct departments: the executive, legislature, and judiciary. This was a basic principle of the Founding Fathers in producing the U.S. Constitution; legislative powers were vested in Congres…
Separatists
Separatists, in religion, English Christian congregations that sought independence from the state and Established Church, beginning in 1580 with the Norwich Brownists.
Sepoy Rebellion
Sepoy Rebellion, or Indian Mutiny, mutiny of Sepoys (Hindi, “troops”) in the Bengal Army of the East India Company.
Septicemia
Septicemia See: Blood poisoning.
Septuagint
Septuagint, oldest Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, probably from an older source than any now extant.
Sequoia
Sequoia, genus including the two largest trees, the redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), both found only in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park, park in south-central California (administered with the adjacent Kings Canyon National Park), established in 1890 to preserve the groves of giant sequoia.
Sequoyah
Sequoyah (c.1770–1843), Cherokee silversmith who devised an alphabet whose 85 characters represented every sound in the Cherokee language, enabling thousands of Cherokee to read and write.
Serapis
Serapis, Egyptian god, worshipped also in Greece and Rome.
Serbia
Serbia, Balkan state.
Serf
Serf, medieval peasant generally bound to the land.
Sergeant at arms
Sergeant at arms, officer who preserves order in a legislative, judicial, or social organization.
Series
Series, in mathematics, sum of a sequence of terms (numbers or algebraic expressions).
Rudolf Serkin
Serkin, Rudolf (1903–91), Bohemian-born U.S. pianist.
Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount See: Beatitudes; Golden rule.
Serpentine
Serpentine, hydrous magnesium silicate mineral, Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4, that occurs in 2 forms: chrisotile, the fibrous variety which is the primary source of asbestos, and antigorite, the flaky variety.
Junípero Serra
Serra, Junípero (1713–84), Spanish Franciscan missionary who founded 9 of California's 21 missions.