Chapter 1679

Pleas in suspension (Law) , pleas which temporarily abate or suspend a suit. -- Points of suspension (Mech.) , the points, as in the axis or beam of a balance, at which the weights act, or from which they are suspended. -- Suspension bridge , a bridge supported by chains, ropes, or wires, which usually pass over high piers or columns at each end, and are secured in the ground beyond. -- Suspension of arms (Mil.) , a short truce or cessation of operations agreed on by the commanders of contending armies, as for burying the dead, making proposal for surrender or for peace, etc. -- Suspension scale , a scale in which the platform hangs suspended from the weighing apparatus instead of resting upon it.

Syn. -- Delay; interruption; intermission; stop.

Suspensive <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pen"sive (?) , a. [Cf. F. suspensif . See Suspend .] Tending to suspend, or to keep in suspense; causing interruption or delay; uncertain; doubtful. "In suspensive thoughts." Beaumont . "A suspensive veto." Macaulay .

The provisional and suspensive attitude. J. Morley.

Suspensive condition (Scots Law) , a condition precedent, or a condition without the performance of which the contract can not be completed.

Suspensor <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pen"sor (?) , n. [NL.] 1. A suspensory.

2. (Bot.) The cord which suspends the embryo; and which is attached to the radicle in the young state; the proembryo.

Suspensorium <Xpage=1454>

Sus`pen*so"ri*um (?) , n. ; pl. Suspensoria (#) . [NL.] (Anat.) Anything which suspends or holds up a part: especially, the mandibular suspensorium (a series of bones, or of cartilages representing them) which connects the base of the lower jaw with the skull in most vertebrates below mammals.

Suspensory <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pen"so*ry (?) , a. 1. Suspended; hanging; depending.

2. Fitted or serving to suspend; suspending; as, a suspensory muscle .

Ray.

3. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a suspensorium.

Suspensory <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pen"so*ry , n. [Cf. F. suspensoir , suspensoire .] That which suspends, or holds up, as a truss ; specifically (Med.) , a bandage or bag for supporting the scrotum.

Suspicable <Xpage=1454>

Sus"pi*ca*ble (?) , a. [L. suspacabilis , fr. suspicari to suspect, akin to suspicere . See Suspect , v. t. ] Liable to suspicion; suspicious. [Obs.]

It is a very suspicable business. Dr. H. more.

Suspiciency <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pi"cien*cy (?) , n. [From L. suspiciens , p.pr. of suspicere . See Suspect , v. t. ] Suspiciousness; suspicion. [Obs.]

Hopkins.

Suspicion <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pi"cion (?) , n. [OE. suspecioun , OF. souspe\'87on , F. soup\'87on , L. suspectio a looking up to, an esteeming highly, suspicion, fr. suspicere to look up, to esteem, to mistrust. The modern form suspicion in English and French is in imitation of L. suspicio mistrust, suspicion. See Suspect , and cf. Suspicious .] 1. The act of suspecting; the imagination or apprehension of the existence of something (esp. something wrong or hurtful) without proof, or upon very slight evidence, or upon no evidence.

Suspicions among thoughts are like bats among birds, they ever fly by twilight. Bacon.

2. Slight degree; suggestion; hint. [Colloq.]

The features are mild but expressive, with just a suspicion . . . of saturnine or sarcastic humor. A. W. Ward.

Syn. -- Jealousy; distrust; mistrust; diffidence; doubt.

Suspicion <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pi"cion , v. t. To view with suspicion; to suspect; to doubt. [Obs. or Low]

South.

Suspicious <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pi"cious (?) , a. [OE. suspecious ; cf. L. suspiciosus . See Suspicion .] 1. Inclined to suspect; given or prone to suspicion; apt to imagine without proof.

Nature itself, after it has done an injury, will ever be suspicious ; and no man can love the person he suspects. South.

Many mischievous insects are daily at work to make men of merit suspicious of each other. Pope.

2. Indicating suspicion, mistrust, or fear.

We have a suspicious , fearful, constrained countenance. Swift.

3. Liable to suspicion; adapted to raise suspicion; giving reason to imagine ill; questionable; as, an author of suspicious innovations; suspicious circumstances .

I spy a black, suspicious , threatening could. Shak.

Syn. -- Jealous; distrustful; mistrustful; doubtful; questionable. See Jealous .

-- Sus*pi"cious*ly , adv. -- Sus*pi"cious*ness , n.

Suspiral <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pir"al (?) , n. [From Suspire .] 1. A breathing hole; a vent or ventiduct.

2. A spring of water passing under ground toward a cistern or conduit.

Suspiration <Xpage=1454>

Sus`pi*ra"tion (?) , n. [L. suspiratio . See Suspire .] The act of sighing, or fetching a long and deep breath; a deep respiration; a sigh.

Windy suspiration of forced breath. Shak.

Suspire <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pire" (?) , v. i. [L. suspirare to breathe out, to sigh; sub under + spirare to breathe: cf. F. souspirer , OF. souspirer .] To fetch a long, deep breath; to sigh; to breathe.

Shak.

Fireflies that suspire In short, soft lapses of transported flame. Mrs. Browning.

Suspire <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pire" , n. [Cf. L. suspirium .] A long, deep breath; a sigh. [Obs.]

Suspired <Xpage=1454>

Sus*pired" (?) , a. Ardently desired or longed for; earnestly coveted. [Obs.]

Sir H. Wotton.

Sustain <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tain" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Sustained (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Sustaining .] [OE. sustenen , susteinen , OF. sustenir , sostenir , F. soutenir (the French prefix is properly fr. L. subtus below, fr. sub under), L. sustinere ; pref. sus- (see Sub- ) + tenere to hold. See Tenable , and cf. Sustenance .] 1. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight .

Every pillar the temple to sustain . Chaucer.

2. Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.

No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain him under the evils in this world. Tillotson.

3. To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army .

4. To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.

Shak.

His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain . Dryden.

5. To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment .

6. To suffer; to bear; to undergo.

Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain ? Dryden.

You shall sustain more new disgraces. Shak.

7. To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit .

8. To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition .

Syn. -- To support; uphold; subsist; assist; relieve; suffer; undergo.

Sustain <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tain" (?) , n. One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer. [Obs.]

I waked again, for my sustain was the Lord. Milton.

Sustainable <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tain"a*ble (?) , a. [Cf. F. soutenable , OF. soustenable .] Capable of being sustained or maintained; as, the action is not sustainable .

Sustained <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tained" (?) , a. Held up to a certain pitch, degree, or level; uniform; as, sustained pasion; a sustained style of writing; a sustained note in music .

Sustainer <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tain"er (?) , n. One who, or that which, sustains.

Waterland.

Sustainment <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tain"ment (?) , n. The act of sustaining; maintenance; support.

Milton. Lowell.

Sustaltic <Xpage=1454>

Sus*tal"tic (?) , a. [Gr. <?/ contractile, fr. <?/ to draw together, to moderate; <?/ together + <?/ to place.] Mournful; -- said of a species of music among the ancient Greeks.

Busby.

Sustenance <Xpage=1454>

Sus"te*nance (?) , n. [OF. sustenance , sostenance , soustenance : cf. L. sustenentia endurance. See Sustain .] 1. The act of sustaining; support; maintenance; subsistence; as, the sustenance of the body; the sustenance of life .

2. That which supports life; food; victuals; provisions; means of living; as, the city has ample sustenance . "A man of little sustenance ."

Chaucer.

For lying is thy sustenance , thy food. Milton.

Sustentacle <Xpage=1454>

Sus*ten"ta*cle (?) , n. [L. sustentaculum . See Sustentation .] Sustenance. [Obs.]

Dr. H. More.

Sustentacular <Xpage=1454>

Sus`ten*tac"u*lar (?) , a. [See Sustenance .] (Anat.) Supporting; sustaining; as, a sustentacular tissue .

Sustentate <Xpage=1454>

Sus"ten*tate (?) , v. t. To sustain. [R.]

C. Reade.

Sustentation <Xpage=1454>

Sus`ten*ta"tion (?) , n. [L. sustentatio sustenance, maintenance, fr. sustentare to support, maintain, v. intens. fr. sustinere to sustain: cf. F. sustentation . See Sustain .] 1. The act of sustaining, or the state of being sustained; preservation from falling; support; sustenance; maintenance.

2. (Physiol.) The aggregate of the functions by which a living organism is maintained in a normal condition of weight and growth.

Sustentation fund (Eccl.) , a fund of a religious body for support of its ministers, chapels, etc.; as, the sustentation fund of the Free Church of Scotland .

Sustentative <Xpage=1454>

Sus"ten*ta*tive (?) , a. Adapted to sustain, strengthen, or corroborate; as, sustentative citations or quotations .

Sustentative functions (Physiol.) , those functions of the body which affect its material composition and thus determine its mass.

Sustention <Xpage=1454>

Sus*ten"tion (?) , n. Sustentation. [R. or Colloq.]

In fine images, in sustention , in irony, they surpass anything that Burke ever wrote. J. Morley.

Suster, Sustre <Xpage=1454>

Sus"ter , Sus"tre (?) , n. ; pl. Susters (<?/) , Sustres , &or; Sustren (<?/) . Sister. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

There are seven sustren , that serve truth ever. Piers Plowman.

Susu <Xpage=1454>

Su"su (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Soosoo .

Susurrant <Xpage=1454>

Su*sur"rant (?) , a. [L. susurrans , p.pr. from susurrare to whisper.] Whispering. [R.] "The soft susurrant sigh."

Poetry of Anti-Jacobin.

Susurration <Xpage=1454>

Su`sur*ra"tion (?) , n. [L. susurratio , fr. susurrare to whisper: cf. F. susurration .] A whispering; a soft murmur. "Soft susurrations of the trees."

Howell.

Susurringly <Xpage=1454>

Su*sur"ring*ly (?) , adv. In the manner of a whisper. [Obs.]

Susurrous <Xpage=1454>

Su*sur"rous (?) , a. [L. susurrus .] Whispering; rustling; full of whispering sounds. [R.]

Susurrus <Xpage=1454>

Su*sur"rus (?) , n. [L.] The act of whispering; a whisper; a murmur.

De Quincey.

The soft susurrus and sighs of the branches. Longfellow.

Sutile <Xpage=1454>

Su"tile (?) , a. [L. sutilis , fr. suere to sew: cf. F. sutile .] Done by stitching. [R.]

Boswell.

Sutler <Xpage=1454>

Sut"ler (?) , n. [D. zoetelaar , OD. soetelaar , a small trader, especially in camps, fr. soetelen to undertake low offices; cf. G. sudeln to do dirty work, to sully, soil, E. suds .] A person who follows an army, and sells to the troops provisions, liquors, and the like.

Sutlership <Xpage=1454>

Sut"ler*ship , n. The condition or occupation of a sutler.

Sutling <Xpage=1454>

Sut"ling (?) , a. Belonging to sutlers; engaged in the occupation of a sutler.

Addison.

Sutor <Xpage=1454>

Su"tor (?) , n. A kind of sirup made by the Indians of Arizona from the fruit of some cactaceous plant (probably the Cereus giganteus ).

Sutra <Xpage=1454>

Su"tra (?) , n. ; pl. Sutras (#) . [Skr. s<?/tra a thread, a string of rules; an aphorism; fr. siv to sew.] 1. (a) A precept; an aphorism; a brief rule. (b) A collection of such aphorisms.

2. pl. A body of Hindoo literature containing aphorisms on grammar, meter, law, and philosophy, and forming a connecting link between the Vedic and later Sanscrit literature.

Balfour (Cyc. of India).

Suttee <Xpage=1454>

Sut*tee" (?) , n. [Skr. sat\'c6 a faithful wife, fem. of sant existing, real, true, good, p.pr. of as to be. Cf. Sooth .] 1. A Hindoo widow who immolates herself, or is immolated, on the funeral pile of her husband; -- so called because this act of self-immolation is regarded as envincing excellence of wifely character. [India]

2. The act of burning a widow on the funeral pile of her husband. [India]

&hand; The practice, though abolished in British India law in 1829, is not wholly prevented.

Sutteeism <Xpage=1454>

Sut*tee"ism (?) , n. The practice of self-immolation of widows in Hindostan.

<page="1455"> Page 1455

Suttle <Xpage=1455>

Sut"tle (?) , n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Com.) The weight when the tare has been deducted, and tret is yet to be allowed.

M<?/Culloch.

Suttle <Xpage=1455>

Sut"tle , v. i. [See Sutler .] To act as sutler; to supply provisions and other articles to troops.

Sutural <Xpage=1455>

Su"tur*al (?) , a. [Cf. F. sutural , NL. suturals .] 1. Of or pertaining to a suture, or seam.

2. (Bot.) Taking place at a suture; as, a sutural de<?/iscence .

Suturally <Xpage=1455>

Su"tur*al*ly , adv. In a sutural manner.

Suturated <Xpage=1455>

Su"tur*a`ted (?) , a. Sewed or knit together; united by a suture; stitched.

Suture <Xpage=1455>

Su"ture (?) , n. [L. sutura , fr. suere , sutum , to sew or stitch: cf. F. suture . See Sew to unite with thread.] 1. The act of sewing; also, the line along which two things or parts are sewed together, or are united so as to form a seam, or that which resembles a seam.

2. (Surg.) (a) The uniting of the parts of a wound by stitching. (b) The stitch by which the parts are united.

3. (Anat.) The line of union, or seam, in an immovable articulation, like those between the bones of the skull; also, such an articulation itself; synarthrosis. See Harmonic suture , under Harmonic .

4. (Bot.) (a) The line, or seam, formed by the union of two margins in any part of a plant; as, the ventral suture of a legume . (b) A line resembling a seam; as, the dorsal suture of a legume, which really corresponds to a midrib .

5. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The line at which the elytra of a beetle meet and are sometimes confluent. (b) A seam, or impressed line, as between the segments of a crustacean, or between the whorls of a univalve shell.

Glover's suture , Harmonic suture , etc. See under Glover , Harmonic , etc.

Sutured <Xpage=1455>

Su"tured (?) , a. Having a suture or sutures; knit or united together.

Pennant.

Suwarrow <Xpage=1455>

Su*war"row (?) , n. (Bot.) The giant cactus ( Cereus giganteus ); -- so named by the Indians of Arizona. Called also saguaro . <-- Saguaro is the most common now -->

Suzerain <Xpage=1455>

Su"ze*rain (?) , n. [F., formed fr. sus above, L. susum , sursum (fr. sub under + versum , p.p. of vertere to turn), after the analogy of souverain , E. sovereign . See Sub- , and Verse .] A superior lord, to whom fealty is due; a feudal lord; a lord paramount.

Suzerainty <Xpage=1455>

Su"ze*rain*ty (?) , n. [F. suzerainet\'82 .] The dominion or authority of a suzerain; paramount authority.

Swa <Xpage=1455>

Swa (sw&aum;) , adv. [See So .] So. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Swab <Xpage=1455>

Swab (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Swabbed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Swabbing .] [See Swabber , n. ] To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship . [Spelt also swob .]

Swab <Xpage=1455>

Swab , n. [Written also swob .] 1. A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads.

2. A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc.

3. (Naut.) An epaulet. [Sailor's Slang]

Marryat.

4. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Obs.]

Bailey.

5. A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm.

Swabber <Xpage=1455>

Swab"ber (?) , v. t. To swab. [R.]

Swabber <Xpage=1455>

Swab"ber , n. [D. zwabber ; cf.D. zwabberen to swab, G. schwabbern , Dan. svabre , Sw. svab a swab, svabla to swab.] 1. One who swabs a floor or desk.

Shak.

2. (Naut.) Formerly, an interior officer on board of British ships of war, whose business it was to see that the ship was kept clean.

3. Same as Swobber , 2.

Swad <Xpage=1455>

Swad (?) , n. [Probably fr. AS. swe<?/ian to bind.] [Written also swod .] 1. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Prov. Eng.]