an ending used in writing to represent the possessive morpheme after most singular nouns, some plural nouns, esp. those not ending in a letter or combination of letters representing an s or z sound, noun phrases, and noun substitutes, as in man's, women's, baby's, James's, witness's, (or witness'), king of England's, or anyone's.
Origin: ME -es, OE
's
2
1.
contraction of is:She's here.
2.
contraction of does:What's he do for a living now?
an ending marking the third person sing. indicative active of verbs: walks.
Origin: ME (north) -(e)s, OE (north); orig. ending of 2nd pers. sing., as in L and Gk; r. ME, OE -eth-eth1
-s
3
an ending marking nouns as plural (boys; wolves), occurring also on nouns that have no singular (dregs; entrails; pants; scissors), or on nouns that have a singular with a different meaning (clothes; glasses; manners; thanks). The pluralizing value of -s3is weakened or lost in a number of nouns that now often take singular agreement, as the names of games (billiards; checkers; tiddlywinks) and of diseases (measles; mumps; pox; rickets); the latter use has been extended to create informal names for a variety of involuntary conditions, physical or mental (collywobbles; d.t.'s; giggles; hots; willies). A parallel set of formations, where -s3has no plural value, are adjectives denoting socially unacceptable or inconvenient states (bananas; bonkers; crackers; nuts; preggers; starkers); cf. -ers.
Symbol S For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.
A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.
A measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.
The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity.
Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.
[German Entropie : Greek en-, in; see en-2 + Greek tropē, transformation; see trep- in Indo-European roots.] en·tro'pic (ěn-trō'pĭk, -trŏp'ĭk) adj., en·tro'pi·cal·ly adv.
s 1 or S (ěs) n.
pl.s's or S's also ss or Ss
The 19th letter of the modern English alphabet.
Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter s.
The 19th in a series.
Something shaped like the letter S.
s 2 abbr.
second (unit of time)
Mathematics second (of arc)
stere
strange quark
S 1
The symbol for the element sulfur.
The symbol for entropy.
S 2 abbr.
Bible Samuel
satisfactory
Saturday
siemens
small
soprano
south
southern
Baseball strike
Sunday
Sam·u·el 2 (sām'yōō-əl) n.
Abbr. Sam. or Sm or S See Table at Bible.
[After Samuel.]
Sat·ur·day (sāt'ər-dē, -dā') n.
Abbr. Sat. or S The seventh day of the week.
The Jewish Sabbath.
[Middle English, from Old English Sæternesdæg, translation of Latin Sāturnī diēs : Sāturnī, genitive of Sāturnus, Saturn + diēs, day.] Sat'ur·days adv.
sec·ond 1 (sěk'ənd) n.
Abbr. sec.
A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of a minute.
The time needed for a cesium-133 atom to perform 9,192,631,770 complete oscillations. See Table at measurement.
A brief interval of time; a moment. See Synonyms at moment.
Abbr. sMathematics A unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a minute.
[Middle English seconde, from Old French, from Medieval Latin (pars minūta) secunda, second (small part), feminine of Latin secundus, second, following; see second2.]
sie·mens (sē'mənz) n.
pl.siemens Abbr. S A unit of electrical conductance in the International System, equal to one ampere per volt.
[After Ernst Werner von Siemens.]
so·pran·o (sə-prān'ō, -prä'nō) n.
pl.so·pran·os
The highest singing voice of a woman or young boy.
A singer having such a voice.
The tonal range characteristic of a soprano.
An instrument that sounds within this range.
Abbr. S A vocal or instrumental part written within this range.
[Italian, from sopra, above, from Latin suprā; see uper in Indo-European roots.]
south (south) n.
Abbr. S
The direction along a meridian 90° clockwise from east; the direction to the right of sunrise.
The cardinal point on the mariner's compass 180° clockwise from due north and directly opposite north.
The southern part of the earth.
The southern part of a region or country.
An area or region lying in the south.
often South
The southern part of the earth.
The southern part of a region or country.
South The southern part of the United States, especially the states that fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.
adj.
To, toward, of, facing, or in the south.
Originating in or coming from the south: a hot south wind.
adv.
In, from, or toward the south.
Slang Into a worse or inferior position, as of decreased value: a stock that went south shortly after he bought it.
[Middle English, from Old English sūth; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: Though a south-facing house on the north side of a street sometimes gets more sun, etymologically speaking, the sunny side of the street is the south side. "South" in Old English was sūth. This came from an earlier *sunth, from a still earlier *sunthaz, "sunny," whose first element, *sun-, means "sun." As the first word in compounds, Old English sūth was subject to shortening, showing up in Modern English pronounced (sŭ). This is seen in place names like Suffolk (where the "south folk" were; compare Norfolk), Sutton, "south town," and Sussex, the location of the "South Saxons" (whose eastern and western cousins were located in Essex and Wessex, respectively).
stere (stîr) n.
Abbr. s A unit of volume equal to one cubic meter.
[French stère, from Greek stereos, solid, hard; see ster-1 in Indo-European roots.]
strange quark n.
Abbr. s A quark with a charge of - 1/3 , a mass about 400 times that of the electron, and a strangeness of -1. See Table at subatomic particle.
strike (strīk) v.
struck (strŭk), struck or strick·en (strĭk'ən), strik·ing, strikes
v.
tr.
To hit sharply, as with the hand, the fist, or a weapon.
To inflict (a blow).
To collide with or crash into: She struck the desk with her knee.
To cause to come into violent or forceful contact: She struck her knee against the desk.
To thrust (a weapon, for example) in or into someone or something: struck the sword into the dragon.
To damage or destroy, as by forceful contact: Lightning struck the tree.
To snap at or seize (a bait).
To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.
To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.
To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.
To come upon; discover: struck gold.
To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.
To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.
To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To penetrate or pierce: was struck in the leg by a bullet.
To collide with or crash into: She struck the desk with her knee.
To cause to come into violent or forceful contact: She struck her knee against the desk.
To thrust (a weapon, for example) in or into someone or something: struck the sword into the dragon.
To damage or destroy, as by forceful contact: Lightning struck the tree.
To snap at or seize (a bait).
To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.
To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.
To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.
To come upon; discover: struck gold.
To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.
To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.
To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To make a military attack on; assault.
To afflict suddenly, as with a disease or impairment: was stricken with cancer.
To cause to become by or as if by a blow: struck him dead.
To snap at or seize (a bait).
To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.
To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.
To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.
To come upon; discover: struck gold.
To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.
To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.
To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To wound by biting. Used especially of a snake.
To form by stamping, printing, or punching: strike a medallion.
To produce or play by manipulating strings or keys: strike a B flat; strike w, t, and y on the typewriter.
To indicate by a percussive or chiming sound: The clock struck nine.
To produce as if by playing a musical instrument: The report struck a positive note in the final paragraph.
To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.
To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.
To come upon; discover: struck gold.
To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.
To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.
To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To remove or separate with or as if with a blow: struck the wasp from his shoulder; struck off the diseased branch with a machete.
To eliminate or expunge: strike a statement from the court records.
To come upon; discover: struck gold.
To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.
To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.
To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.
To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To affect keenly or forcibly; impress. See Synonyms at affect1.
To enter the mind of: The thought struck me from out of the blue.
To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.
To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).
To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To take on or assume (a pose, for example).
Nautical
To haul down (a mast or sail).
To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.
To lower (cargo) into a hold.
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To remove (theatrical properties, a set, or technical equipment) from a stage.
To dismantle and pack up for departure: strike camp.
To undertake a strike against (an employer).
To level or even (a measure, as of grain).
To smooth or shape with a strickle.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
To send (plant roots) out or down.
To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.
v.
intr.
To deal a blow or blows with or as if with the fist or a weapon; hit.
To aim a stroke or blow.
To make contact suddenly or violently; collide: A car and a bus struck at the intersection.
To begin a military attack: The enemy struck unexpectedly.
To penetrate or pierce: The cold struck right through our jackets.
To take bait: The fish are striking.
To dart or shoot suddenly forward in an attempt to inflict a bite or wound. Used of snakes and wild animals.
To set out or proceed, especially in a new direction: struck off into the forest.
To begin to move: The horse struck into a gallop.
To send out roots.
To sprout.
To indicate the time by making a percussive or chiming sound: The clock struck just as we left.
To become indicated by a percussive or chiming sound: The hour has struck.
To indicate the time by making a percussive or chiming sound: The clock struck just as we left.
To become indicated by a percussive or chiming sound: The hour has struck.
To become ignited.
To discover something suddenly or unexpectedly: struck on a new approach.
To fall, as light or sound: sunlight striking on the cliffs; a din struck upon their ears.
To have an effect; make an impression.
To engage in a strike against an employer.
To interrupt by pushing oneself forward: struck rudely into the conversation.
To strive diligently for a specific technical rating in the U.S. Navy.
n.
An act or a gesture of striking.
An attack, especially a military air attack on a single group of targets.
A cessation of work by employees in support of demands made on their employer, as for higher pay or improved conditions.
A temporary stoppage of normal activity undertaken as a protest.
The taking of bait by a fish.
A pull on a fishing line indicating this.
Abbr. S A pitched ball that is counted against the batter, typically one that is swung at and missed, fouled off, or judged to have passed through the strike zone.
A perfectly thrown ball.
To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.
To be struck out.
To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.
To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.
To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!
A sudden achievement or valuable discovery, as of a precious mineral.
The taking of bait by a fish.
A pull on a fishing line indicating this.
Abbr. S A pitched ball that is counted against the batter, typically one that is swung at and missed, fouled off, or judged to have passed through the strike zone.
A perfectly thrown ball.
To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.
To be struck out.
To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.
To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.
To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!
A quantity of coins or medals struck at the same time.
Baseball
Abbr. S A pitched ball that is counted against the batter, typically one that is swung at and missed, fouled off, or judged to have passed through the strike zone.
A perfectly thrown ball.
To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.
To be struck out.
To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.
To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.
To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!
An unfavorable condition, circumstance, or characteristic; a disadvantage: "[They] were trying to sell a movie with several strikes against it as a mass-audience 'property'"(John Sayles).
An unlawful act, especially one that results in a conviction.
Sports The knocking down of all the pins in bowling with the first bowl of a frame.
The taking root and growing of a plant cutting.
Geology The course or bearing of a structural surface, such as an inclined bed, as it intersects a horizontal plane.
The removal of all properties, sets, and technical equipment following a final performance, as of a play or concert.
A strickle.
To cause to fall by a blow.
To incapacitate or kill: He was struck down by tuberculosis.
To render ineffective; cancel: The court struck down the law.
To begin a course of action.
To set out energetically.
Baseball
To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.
To be struck out.
To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.
To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.
To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!
To fail in an endeavor.
To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.
To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.
To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!
To initiate or begin: strike up a conversation.
Phrasal Verb(s): strike down
To cause to fall by a blow.
To incapacitate or kill: He was struck down by tuberculosis.
To render ineffective; cancel: The court struck down the law.
strike out
To begin a course of action.
To set out energetically.
Baseball
To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.
To be struck out.
To fail in an endeavor.
strike up
To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.
To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.
To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!
To initiate or begin: strike up a conversation.
Idiom(s):
on strikeEngaged in a work stoppage: Most of the employees were on strike.
Idiom(s):
strike handsTo conclude a bargain or reach an agreement.
Idiom(s):
strike it rich Informal To have sudden financial success.
[Middle English striken, from Old English strīcan, to stroke; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]
Our Living Language: The central role that baseball has played in American culture is known to all, but is particularly evident in the abundance of baseball expressions applied to circumstances outside the sport. When people say that they have struck out in an endeavor, they are using one such expression. We routinely speak of ballpark figures or estimates, of some unexpected quirk of fate or tricky question on an exam being a curve ball, of minor-league or bush-league players in a field or business, who might one day enter the big leagues. If we can't go to lunch with a person who invites us, we take a rain check. We can go to bat or pinch-hit for a friend. We can be off base about something or so disconnected we are out in left field. When we cooperate we are playing ball, and when we get serious or even ruthless about something, we are playing hardball. Some unfortunate people are said to have been born with two strikes against them if bad things come their way right off the bat. The list could go on and on, but that would only be running up the score.
sul·fur also sul·phur (sŭl'fər) n.
Symbol S A pale yellow nonmetallic element occurring widely in nature in several free and combined allotropic forms. It is used in black gunpowder, rubber vulcanization, the manufacture of insecticides and pharmaceuticals, and in the preparation of sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid. Atomic number 16; atomic weight 32.066; melting point (rhombic) 112.8°C, (monoclinic) 119.0°C; boiling point 444.6°C; specific gravity (rhombic) 2.07, (monoclinic) 1.957; valence 2, 4, 6. See Table at element. tr.v.
sul·fured also sul·phured, sul·fur·ing also sul·phur·ing, sul·furs also sul·phurs To treat with sulfur or a compound of sulfur.
[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman sulfre, from Latin sulfur.]
Sun·day (sŭn'dē, -dā') n.
Abbr. Sun. or S The first day of the week.
The Sabbath for many Christians.
[Middle English, from Old English sunnandæg; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.] Sun'days adv.
suffix forming almost all Mod.Eng. plural nouns, was gradually extended in M.E. from O.E. -as, the nom. plural and acc. plural ending of certain "strong" masc. nouns (cf. dæg "day," nom./acc. pl. dagas "days"). The commonest Gmc. declension, traceable back to the original PIE inflection system, it is also the source of the Du. -s plurals and (by rhotacism) Scand. -r plurals (e.g. Swed. dagar). Much more uniform today than originally; O.E. also had a numerous category of "weak" nouns that formed their plurals in -an, and other strong nouns that formed plurals with -u. Quirk and Wrenn, in their O.E. grammar, estimate that 45 percent of the nouns a student will encounter will be masc., nearly four-fifths of them with gen. sing. -es and nom./acc. pl. in -as. Less than half, but still the largest chunk. The triumphs of -'s possessives and -s plurals represent common patterns in language: using only a handful of suffixes to do many jobs (cf. -ing), and the most common variant squeezing out the competition. To further muddy the waters, it's been extended in slang since 1936 to singulars (e.g. ducks, sweets, babes) as an affectionate or dim. suffix. O.E. single-syllable collectives (sheep, folk) as well as weights, measures, and units of time did not use -s. The use of it in these cases began in M.E., but the older custom is preserved in many traditional dialects (ten pound of butter; more than seven year ago).
A Nasdaq stock symbol indicating shares of beneficial interest.
Investopedia Commentary
Nasdaq-listed securities have four or five characters. If a fifth letter appears, it identifies the issue as other than a single issue of common stock or capital stock.
Used in stock transaction tables in newspapers to indicate that the stock has been split or that the firm has paid a stock dividend of at least 25% within the past 52 weeks: Getty s.
Used on the consolidated tape to indicate the size of a transaction as a multiple of 100 shares: Gy 9s81.
Used in bond transaction tables in newspapers to separate a bond's coupon and year of maturity: Deere 9s01.
Main Entry: S Function: abbreviation 1 sacral —used especially with a number from 1 to 5 to indicate a vertebra or segment of the spinal cord in the sacral regionS1 to S5> 2 signa —used to introduce the signature in writing a prescription 3 smooth —used of bacterialcolonies 4 subject 5 svedberg
Slanguage A statistical analysis language from AT&T. ["S: An Interactive Environment for Data Analysis and Graphics", Richard A. Becker, Wadsworth 1984]. (1997-01-21)
[es] 
) the medieval Roman numeral for 7 or 70. Compare Roman numerals.