SES 



G56 



sax 



SERRAT'ULA. The Saw-wort. \ genus 

 of perennial plants. SyngenesiaPolyga- 

 min eequalis. Name fromswa, a saw, on 

 account of its serrate leaves. There are 

 three British types ; the common and the 

 Alpine saw-wort, and the corn or way 

 thistle. 



SERRICOR'NES. A family of pentamerous 

 coleoptera. Name from serra, a saw, and 

 conui, a horn ; the antenme, with some ex- 

 ceptions, being dentated either like a saw 

 or a comb, or even like a fan, and in this 

 respect are most developed in the males. 



SER'RULATE, Lat. serrulatus, from ser- 

 rula, a little saw. Minutely serrate. 



SBRTULA'RIA. A genus of coralliferous 

 polypi belonging to the family Tubularia. 

 The sertularia have a corneous stem, 

 sometimes simple, but often ramous, on 

 the sides of which are cells, extremely 

 various in form, which are occupied by 

 the polypi, all connected with a gelatinous 

 stem, which traverses the axis, like the 

 medulla of a tree. 



SE'RVM, Lat., from serus, late. 1. The 



whey of milk. 2. The yellowish and 



somewhat greenish fluid which separates 

 from the blood when cold and at rest. 



SER'VAI,. An animal of Malabar, of the 

 feline tribe. It resembles the lynx in form 

 and size, and the panther in spots. 



SERVITOR, Lat., from servio, to serve. 

 In the University of Oxford, a student who 

 attends on another for his maintenance 

 and learning : called at Cambridge a sizer. 



SES'AME, ) The Oily-grain. A genus 



SES'AMUM. j of plants. DidynamiaAn- 

 giospermia. Name g-^ira.^^, from an Egyp- 

 tian root. The species are natives of 

 India, &c. The S. orientals affords the 

 seeds called oily-grain, which are much 

 esteemed as an article of food. It is cul- 

 tivated in South Carolina under the name 

 Of bene. 



SES'AMoiD,from ffyctu,-/-,, sesamum, and 

 ti^o;, likeness. Like the sesamum seed. 

 Applied, in anatomy, to several parts, 

 from their shape. 



SES'CIUI. 1. A Latin prefix, signifying a 

 whole and a half. In the doctrine of defi- 

 nite proportions, it is used to designate 

 compounds in which an equivalent and a 

 half of one ingredient combines with ano- 

 ther ; e. g. sesqui-oxide, sesqui-carbonate. 



2. In music, the term was used by the 



old masters, to distinguish different kinds 

 ol measure. 



SESCICIAL'TER, from sesqui, and alter, 

 other. 1. In music, an organ-stop imply- 

 ing a whole and a half. 2. In arith- 

 metic, a ratio where one quantity contains 

 another one time and half a time. Thus 

 |- = li is a sesquialteral ratio. 



SES'QUTTONE. In music, a minor third : 

 aninterval of three semitones. 



Lat. sessilii, sitting cloe. Ap- 

 plied, in botany, to parts of plants which 

 are not elevated on any kind of stalk. 



SES'SION, COURT or. The supreme civil 

 court of Scotland, having jurisdiction in, 

 all questions, of whatever nature. 



SES'SIOX OF PARLIAMENT. The period 

 between its meeting and prorogation. 



SE'TERCE, Lat. sestertius. A Koman 

 coin, or denomination of money, in value 

 the fourth of the denarius, and originally 

 containing two asses and a half (about Id.). 

 The sesteriiiim, i. e. sestertium pondus, was 

 two pounds and a half, or 250 denarii 

 (about SI.). One qualification of the 

 Roman knight was the possession of an 

 estate worth 400,000 sesterces ; of the se- 

 nator, 800,000 sesterces. 



SETA'cEous,Lat. setaceus, bristly ; seta, a 

 bristle. Applied to parts of plants, &c. 



SET'IFORM, Lat. setiformis, bristly ; seta, 

 a bristle, and form. Applied to parts of 

 plants. 



SET-OFF , in law, is where the defendant 

 acknowledges the j ustice of the plaintiff 's 

 demand, but sets up a demand of his own, 

 to counterbalance it in whole or in part. 

 SE'TON, Lat. setacewn. from seta, a 

 bristle. In surgery, an artificial sinus 

 made under the skin by means of an in- 

 strument called the scion-needle, which 

 carries with it a portion of thread or silk. 

 The thread, which is of considerable 

 length, is allowed to remain, and a new 

 portion is drawn through daily, to keep 

 up a constant irritation. In farriery, this 

 operation is called rowelling. 



SE'TOSE, Lat. setosus, bristly, from seta, 

 a bristle. Applied to parts of plants. 



SETTE'E, from sit. 1. A sort of large 



easy chair. 2. A description of vessel 



used on the Mediterranean. It has two 

 masts, one deck, a very long and sharp 

 prow, and lateen sails. 



SET'TER. Among sportsmen, a dog that 

 beats the field to start birds. 



SETT-OFF'. In architecture, the horizon- 

 tal projections left in carrying up a wall, 

 the thickness of which is diminished by 

 steps. 



SEV'ENTH. In music, an interval. 



SEXAGES'IMA, Lat. sexagetim'us, sixtieth. 

 The second Sunday before Lent, so called 

 as being about the sixtieth day before 

 Easter. 



SEXAGESIMAL. Pertaining to the num- 

 ber 60. Sexagesimal notation is the method 

 of computing by sixties, as that which is 

 used in dividing degrees into minutes, 

 and these into seconds. 



SEX'TANT, from sextans, a sixth. 1. An 

 instrument much used in surveying, for 

 measuring horizontal angles. It is formed 

 like the quadrant, except that it is only 



60", or the sixth part of the circle. 2. 



In astronomy, a constellation of the south- 

 ern aen'-isphere, containing 41 stars. 



