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S

 - 62 dictionary results

S, s

[es]
–noun, plural S's or Ss, s's or ss.
1. the 19th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
2. any spoken sound represented by the letter S or s, as in saw, sense, or goose.
3. something having the shape of an S.
4. a written or printed representation of the letter S or s.
5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter S or s.

S

1. satisfactory.
2. Saxon.
3. sentence.
4. short.
5. Electricity. siemens.
6. signature.
7. single.
8. small.
9. soft.
10. Music. soprano.
11. South.
12. Southern.
13. state (highway).
14. Grammar. subject.

S

Symbol.
1. the 19th in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the 18th.
2. (sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 7 or 70. Compare Roman numerals.
3. second.
4. Biochemistry. serine.
5. Thermodynamics. entropy.
6. Physics. strangeness.
7. sulfur.

s

Symbol.
second.

's

1
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?
3. contraction of has: He's just gone.

See contraction.

's

3
Archaic.
a contraction of God's, as in 'swounds; 'sdeath; 'sblood.

's

4
a contraction of us, as in Let's go.

See contraction.

's

5
a contraction of as, as in so's to get there on time.

-s

1
a native English suffix used in the formation of adverbs: always; betimes; needs; unawares.
Compare -ways.


Origin:
ME -es, OE; ult. identical with 's 1

-s

2
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 -eth 1

-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 -s3 is 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 -s3 has no plural value, are adjectives denoting socially unacceptable or inconvenient states (bananas; bonkers; crackers; nuts; preggers; starkers); cf. -ers.
Also, -es.


Origin:
ME -(e)s, OE -as, pl. nom. and acc. ending of some masculine nouns

-s

4
a suffix of hypocoristic nouns, generally proper names or forms used only in address: Babs; Fats; Suzykins; Sweetums; Toodles.

Origin:
prob. from the metonymic use of nouns formed with -s 3 , as boots or Goldilocks

S.

1. Sabbath.
2. Saint.
3. Saturday.
4. Saxon.
5. (in Austria) schilling; schillings.
6. School.
7. Sea.
8. Senate.
9. September.
10. shilling; shillings.
11. (in prescriptions)
a. mark; write; label. Origin:
< L signa
b. let it be written. Origin:
< L signētur
12. Signor.
13. Small.
14. Socialist.
15. Society.
16. Fellow. Origin:
< L socius
17. sol 3 (def. 1).
18. South.
19. Southern.
20. (in Ecuador) sucre; sucres.
21. Sunday.

s.

1. saint.
2. school.
3. second.
4. section.
5. see.
6. series.
7. shilling; shillings.
8. sign.
9. signed.
10. silver.
11. singular.
12. sire.
13. small.
14. society.
15. son.
16. south.
17. southern.
18. steamer.
19. stem.
20. stem of.
21. substantive.

schil⋅ling

[shil-ing]
–noun
1. a copper and aluminum coin and monetary unit of Austria, equal to 100 groschen. Abbreviation: S., Sch.
2. any of various former minor coins of Germany.

Origin:
1745–55; < G; c. shilling

shil⋅ling

[shil-ing]
–noun
1. a cupronickel coin and former monetary unit of the United Kingdom, the 20th part of a pound, equal to 12 pence: retained in circulation equal to 5 new pence after decimalization in 1971. Abbreviation: s.
2. a former monetary unit of various other nations, as Australia, Fiji, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Nigeria, equal to one twentieth of a pound or 12 pence.
3. the monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda, equal to 100 cents.
4. any of various coins and moneys of account used in various parts of the U.S. in the 18th and 19th centuries.
5. shilling mark.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE scilling; c. D schelling, G Schilling, ON skillingr, Goth skillings

sie⋅mens

[see-muhnz]
–noun (used with a singular verb)
Electricity. the SI unit of electrical conductance, equal to the reciprocal of the ohm and replacing the equivalent MKS unit (mho). Abbreviation: S

Origin:
1930–35; named after Sir W. Siemens

sol

3[sohl, sol; Sp. sawl]
–noun, plural sols, Spanish. so⋅les [saw-les] .
1. a bronze coin and monetary unit of Peru, equal to 100 centavos. Abbreviation: S.
2. Also called libra. a former gold coin of Peru.

Origin:
1880–85; < AmerSp: sun, Sp < L sōl

south

[n., adj., adv. south; v. south, south]
–noun
1. a cardinal point of the compass lying directly opposite north. Abbreviation: S
2. the direction in which this point lies.
3. (usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction.
4. the South, the general area south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi, consisting mainly of those states that formed the Confederacy.
–adjective
5. lying toward or situated in the south; directed or proceeding toward the south.
6. coming from the south, as a wind.
–adverb
7. to, toward, or in the south.
8. Informal. into a state of serious decline, loss, or the like: Sales went south during the recession.
–verb (used without object)
9. to turn or move in a southerly direction.
10. Astronomy. to cross the meridian.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME suth(e), south(e) (adv., adj., and n.), OE sūth (adv. and adj.); c. OHG sund-

Su⋅cre

[soo-kre]
–noun
1. An⋅to⋅nio Jo⋅sé de [ahn-taw-nyaw haw-se the] , 1793–1830, Venezuelan general and South American liberator: 1st president of Bolivia 1826–28.
2. a city in and the official capital of Bolivia, in the S part. 57,090.
3. (lowercase) a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of Ecuador, equal to 100 centavos. Abbreviation: S.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To S
en·tro·py   (ěn'trə-pē)   
n.   pl. en·tro·pies
  1. Symbol S For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.

  2. A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.

  3. A measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.

  4. The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity.

  5. 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
  1. The 19th letter of the modern English alphabet.

  2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter s.

  3. The 19th in a series.

  4. Something shaped like the letter S.

s 2  
abbr.  
  1. second (unit of time)

  2. Mathematics second (of arc)

  3. stere

  4. strange quark

S 1  
  1. The symbol for the element sulfur.

  2. The symbol for entropy.

S 2  
abbr.  
  1. Bible Samuel

  2. satisfactory

  3. Saturday

  4. siemens

  5. small

  6. soprano

    1. south

    2. southern

  7. Baseball strike

  8. 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.  
  1. Abbr. Sat. or S The seventh day of the week.

  2. 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.  
  1. Abbr. sec.

    1. A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of a minute.

    2. The time needed for a cesium-133 atom to perform 9,192,631,770 complete oscillations. See Table at measurement.

  2. A brief interval of time; a moment. See Synonyms at moment.

  3. Abbr. s Mathematics 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
  1. The highest singing voice of a woman or young boy.

  2. A singer having such a voice.

  3. The tonal range characteristic of a soprano.

  4. An instrument that sounds within this range.

  5. 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.  
  1. Abbr. S

    1. The direction along a meridian 90° clockwise from east; the direction to the right of sunrise.

    2. The cardinal point on the mariner's compass 180° clockwise from due north and directly opposite north.

    3. The southern part of the earth.

    4. The southern part of a region or country.

  2. An area or region lying in the south.

  3. often South

    1. The southern part of the earth.

    2. The southern part of a region or country.

  4. South The southern part of the United States, especially the states that fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

adj.  
  1. To, toward, of, facing, or in the south.

  2. Originating in or coming from the south: a hot south wind.

adv.  
  1. In, from, or toward the south.

  2. 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.
    1. To hit sharply, as with the hand, the fist, or a weapon.

    2. To inflict (a blow).

    3. To collide with or crash into: She struck the desk with her knee.

    4. To cause to come into violent or forceful contact: She struck her knee against the desk.

    5. To thrust (a weapon, for example) in or into someone or something: struck the sword into the dragon.

    6. To damage or destroy, as by forceful contact: Lightning struck the tree.

    7. To snap at or seize (a bait).

    8. To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.

    9. To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.

    10. To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.

    11. To come upon; discover: struck gold.

    12. To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.

    13. To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.

    14. To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.

    15. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    16. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    17. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    18. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    19. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    20. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    21. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    22. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    23. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    24. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    25. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  1. To penetrate or pierce: was struck in the leg by a bullet.

    1. To collide with or crash into: She struck the desk with her knee.

    2. To cause to come into violent or forceful contact: She struck her knee against the desk.

    3. To thrust (a weapon, for example) in or into someone or something: struck the sword into the dragon.

    4. To damage or destroy, as by forceful contact: Lightning struck the tree.

    5. To snap at or seize (a bait).

    6. To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.

    7. To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.

    8. To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.

    9. To come upon; discover: struck gold.

    10. To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.

    11. To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.

    12. To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.

    13. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    14. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    15. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    16. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    17. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    18. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    19. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    20. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    21. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    22. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    23. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  2. To make a military attack on; assault.

  3. To afflict suddenly, as with a disease or impairment: was stricken with cancer.

  4. To cause to become by or as if by a blow: struck him dead.

    1. To snap at or seize (a bait).

    2. To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.

    3. To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.

    4. To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.

    5. To come upon; discover: struck gold.

    6. To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.

    7. To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.

    8. To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.

    9. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    10. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    11. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    12. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    13. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    14. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    15. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    16. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    17. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    18. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    19. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  5. To wound by biting. Used especially of a snake.

  6. To form by stamping, printing, or punching: strike a medallion.

  7. To produce or play by manipulating strings or keys: strike a B flat; strike w, t, and y on the typewriter.

  8. To indicate by a percussive or chiming sound: The clock struck nine.

  9. To produce as if by playing a musical instrument: The report struck a positive note in the final paragraph.

    1. To produce by friction or a blow: struck fire from the flints.

    2. To produce flame, light, or a spark from by friction: strike a match.

    3. To come upon; discover: struck gold.

    4. To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.

    5. To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.

    6. To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.

    7. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    8. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    9. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    10. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    11. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    12. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    13. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    14. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    15. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    16. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    17. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  10. 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.

  11. To eliminate or expunge: strike a statement from the court records.

    1. To come upon; discover: struck gold.

    2. To come to; attain: finally struck the main trail.

    3. To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.

    4. To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.

    5. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    6. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    7. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    8. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    9. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    10. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    11. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    12. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    13. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    14. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    15. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

    1. To fall upon; shine on: A bright light struck her face.

    2. To become audible to: An odd sound struck his ear.

    3. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    4. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    5. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    6. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    7. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    8. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    9. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    10. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    11. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    12. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    13. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  12. To affect keenly or forcibly; impress. See Synonyms at affect1.

  13. To enter the mind of: The thought struck me from out of the blue.

    1. To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply: struck terror into their hearts.

    2. To affect or overcome with strong emotion: She was struck with alarm at the news.

    3. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    4. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    5. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    6. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    7. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    8. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    9. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    10. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    11. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

    1. To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

    2. To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful weighing or reckoning.

    3. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    4. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    5. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    6. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    7. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    8. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    9. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  14. To take on or assume (a pose, for example).

  15. Nautical

    1. To haul down (a mast or sail).

    2. To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

    3. To lower (cargo) into a hold.

    4. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    5. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    6. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    7. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

  16. To remove (theatrical properties, a set, or technical equipment) from a stage.

  17. To dismantle and pack up for departure: strike camp.

  18. To undertake a strike against (an employer).

    1. To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

    2. To smooth or shape with a strickle.

    3. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    4. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

    1. To send (plant roots) out or down.

    2. To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

v.   intr.
  1. To deal a blow or blows with or as if with the fist or a weapon; hit.

  2. To aim a stroke or blow.

  3. To make contact suddenly or violently; collide: A car and a bus struck at the intersection.

  4. To begin a military attack: The enemy struck unexpectedly.

  5. To penetrate or pierce: The cold struck right through our jackets.

  6. To take bait: The fish are striking.

  7. To dart or shoot suddenly forward in an attempt to inflict a bite or wound. Used of snakes and wild animals.

  8. To set out or proceed, especially in a new direction: struck off into the forest.

  9. To begin to move: The horse struck into a gallop.

    1. To send out roots.

    2. To sprout.

    3. To indicate the time by making a percussive or chiming sound: The clock struck just as we left.

    4. To become indicated by a percussive or chiming sound: The hour has struck.

    1. To indicate the time by making a percussive or chiming sound: The clock struck just as we left.

    2. To become indicated by a percussive or chiming sound: The hour has struck.

  10. To become ignited.

  11. To discover something suddenly or unexpectedly: struck on a new approach.

  12. To fall, as light or sound: sunlight striking on the cliffs; a din struck upon their ears.

  13. To have an effect; make an impression.

  14. To engage in a strike against an employer.

  15. To interrupt by pushing oneself forward: struck rudely into the conversation.

  16. To strive diligently for a specific technical rating in the U.S. Navy.

n.  
  1. An act or a gesture of striking.

  2. An attack, especially a military air attack on a single group of targets.

    1. A cessation of work by employees in support of demands made on their employer, as for higher pay or improved conditions.

    2. A temporary stoppage of normal activity undertaken as a protest.

    3. The taking of bait by a fish.

    4. A pull on a fishing line indicating this.

    5. 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.

    6. A perfectly thrown ball.

    7. To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.

    8. To be struck out.

    9. To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.

    10. To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.

    11. To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!

  3. A sudden achievement or valuable discovery, as of a precious mineral.

    1. The taking of bait by a fish.

    2. A pull on a fishing line indicating this.

    3. 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.

    4. A perfectly thrown ball.

    5. To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.

    6. To be struck out.

    7. To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.

    8. To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.

    9. To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!

  4. A quantity of coins or medals struck at the same time.

  5. Baseball

    1. 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.

    2. A perfectly thrown ball.

    3. To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.

    4. To be struck out.

    5. To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.

    6. To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.

    7. To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!

  6. 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).

  7. An unlawful act, especially one that results in a conviction.

  8. Sports The knocking down of all the pins in bowling with the first bowl of a frame.

  9. The taking root and growing of a plant cutting.

  10. Geology The course or bearing of a structural surface, such as an inclined bed, as it intersects a horizontal plane.

  11. The removal of all properties, sets, and technical equipment following a final performance, as of a play or concert.

  12. A strickle.

  13. To cause to fall by a blow.

  14. To incapacitate or kill: He was struck down by tuberculosis.

  15. To render ineffective; cancel: The court struck down the law.

  16. To begin a course of action.

  17. To set out energetically.

  18. Baseball

    1. To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.

    2. To be struck out.

    3. To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.

    4. To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.

    5. To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!

  19. To fail in an endeavor.

    1. To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.

    2. To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.

    3. To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!

  20. To initiate or begin: strike up a conversation.

Phrasal Verb(s):
strike down
  1. To cause to fall by a blow.

  2. To incapacitate or kill: He was struck down by tuberculosis.

  3. To render ineffective; cancel: The court struck down the law.

strike out
  1. To begin a course of action.

  2. To set out energetically.

  3. Baseball

    1. To pitch three strikes to (a batter), putting the batter out.

    2. To be struck out.

  4. To fail in an endeavor.

strike up
    1. To start to play music or sing: The band suddenly struck up.

    2. To start to play or sing (something): The orchestra struck up a waltz.

    3. To cause to start to play or sing: Strike up the band!

  1. 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.  
  1. Abbr. Sun. or S The first day of the week.

  2. The Sabbath for many Christians.


[Middle English, from Old English sunnandæg; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.]
Sun'days adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
shit out of luck

and SOL
  1. phr. & comp. abb.
    Completely out of luck. (Usually objectionable.) : Sorry. U R SOL.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

-s  (2)
third pers. sing. pres. indic. suffix of verbs, it represents O.E. -es, -as, which began to replace -eð in Northumbrian 10c., and gradually spread south until by Shakespeare it had emerged from colloquialism and -eth began to be limited to more dignified speeches.

shilling 
O.E. scilling, a coin consisting of a varying number of pence (on the continent, a common scale was 12 pennies to a shilling, 20 shillings to a pound), from P.Gmc. *skillingoz- (cf. O.S., Dan., Swed., O.Fris., O.H.G. skilling, O.N. skillingr, Du. schelling, Ger. Schilling, Goth. skilliggs), which some etymologists trace to the base *skell- "to resound, to ring," and others to the base *skel- "to split, to divide" (perhaps via sense of "shield;" see shield). The ending may represent the dim. suffix -ling. O.C.S. skulezi, Sp. escalin, Fr. schelling, It. scellino are Gmc. loan-words.

Sol 
"the sun," c.1450, from L. sol "the sun," from PIE *s(e)wol-, from base *saewel- "to shine, the sun" (cf. Skt. suryah, Avestan hvar "sun, light, heavens;" Gk. helios; Lith. saule; O.C.S. slunice; Goth. sauil, O.E. sol "sun," swegl "sky, heavens, the sun;" Welsh haul, O.Cornish heuul, Breton heol "sun;" O.Ir. suil "eye"). The PIE element -*el- in the root originally was a suffix and had an alternate form -*en-, yielding *s(u)wen-, source of Eng. sun (q.v.).

south 
O.E. suð "southward, in the south," from P.Gmc. *sunthaz (cf. O.S., O.Fris. suth "southward, in the south," M.Du. suut), perhaps related to base of *sunnon "sun," with sense of "the region of the sun." Ger. Süd, Süden are from a Du. pronunciation. O.Fr. sur, sud (Fr. sud), Sp. sur, sud are loan-words from Gmc., perhaps from O.N. suðr. The Southern states of the U.S. have been collectively called The South since 1779. South country in Britain means the part below the Tweed, in England the part below the Wash, and in Scotland the part below the Forth. The nautical coat called a sou'wester (1836) protects the wearer against severe weather, such as a gale out of the southwest. South Sea meant "the Mediterranean" (1398) and "the English Channel" (1432) before it came to mean (in pl.) "the South Pacific Ocean" (c.1528).

sucre 
monetary unit of Ecuador, 1886, named for Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

S

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.

See also: Nasdaq, Stock Symbol

Also spelled: S

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Financial Dictionary

s

  1. 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.

  2. Used on the consolidated tape to indicate the size of a transaction as a multiple of 100 shares: Gy 9s81.

  3. Used in bond transaction tables in newspapers to separate a bond's coupon and year of maturity: Deere 9s01.


Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

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

Main Entry: S
Function: symbol
sulfur

Main Entry: sie·mens
Pronunciation: 'sE-m&nz, 'zE-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural siemens
: a unit of conductance inthe mks system equivalent to one ampere per volt

Main Entry: sol
Pronunciation: 'säl, 'sol
Function: noun
: a fluid colloidal system; especially : one in which the dispersion medium isa liquid
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

s abbr.

  1. Latin semis (half)

  2. Latin sinister (left)

S
The symbol for the element sulfur.

siemens sie·mens (sē'mənz)
n. pl. siemens
A unit of electrical conductance in the International System of Units, equal to one ampere per volt.

sol (sôl, sōl)
n.
A colloidal dispersion of a solid in a liquid.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
s  
  1. Abbreviation of second (of time), second (of an arc)

  2. The symbol for strangeness.


S  
The symbol for sulfur.
siemens   (sē'mənz)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural siemens
See mho.
sulfur also sulphur   (sŭl'fər)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol S
A pale-yellow, brittle nonmetallic element that occurs widely in nature, especially in volcanic deposits, minerals, natural gas, and petroleum. It is used to make gunpowder and fertilizer, to vulcanize rubber, and to produce 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 Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

S language
A statistical analysis language from AT&T.
["S: An Interactive Environment for Data Analysis and Graphics", Richard A. Becker, Wadsworth 1984].
(1997-01-21)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
s
  1. second

  2. second

  3. split

  4. stere

  5. strange quark

S
  1. entropy

  2. safety

  3. Samuel

  4. satisfactory

  5. Saturday

  6. Senate

  7. send (shortwave transmission)

  8. sentence

  9. sexual [situations] (television rating)

  10. siemens

  11. single (as in personal ads)

  12. small

  13. smoking section

  14. soprano

  15. south

  16. southern

  17. straight (as in personal ads)

  18. strike

  19. sulfur

  20. Sunday

  21. sunny

  22. superior

  23. Sweden (international vehicle ID)

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

s

fundamental unit of time, now defined in terms of the radiation frequency at which atoms of the element cesium change from one state to another.

Learn more about s with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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