S E M 



S E M 



' of the preceding is annexed to it ; and he diftinguifhes it by- 

 beginning the new fentence with a fmall^'etter. But the colon 

 and feraicolon, differently applied, fuperfede the neceflity of 

 his new diftinftion. 



SEMIPOLATNOI, or Sempalat, in Geography, a 

 fortrefs of Ruflia, in the government of Kolivati, on the 

 Irtifch, firft built in the year 1714, on the bank of the 

 Irtifch ; but afterwards taken down and crefted in feveral 

 different fituations. It now ftands in its fourth fituation, 

 and is ealily commanded from the mountains that lie to the 

 eafl of it ; and the adjacent country is very pleafant and 

 fertile, but remains uncultivated. The gardens at Sempa- 

 lat yield a very fine fpecies of melons. The fort derives its 

 name from Sempalat, a ruinous town, diftant from it about 

 16 verfts on the river Irtifch, where are feen fome remains 

 of old ftone buildings. The Ruffian fettlers found here 

 feven houfes, as the name of the place imports. Some 

 learned men are of opinion, that certain infcriptions found 

 among the ruins, relate to the mythology of the Kalmucks ; 

 and that this place was deferted by thefe people, in con- 

 formity to a maxim of their religion, that when any con- 

 fecrated place is profaned by war, it fhould be for ever re- 

 linquifhed ; 148 miles S. of Kolivan. N. lat. 50° 25'. 

 E. long. 80" 14'. 



SEMI-PORCELLANjE, in the Hijlory of Shells. See 

 Shells. 



SEMIPREBEND. See Prebend. 



SEMI PROOF, an imperfed proof. 



In the French law, the depofition of a fingle evidence 

 only makes a femiproof. 



The teftament of a perfon deceafed is deemed a femi- 

 proof. 



In enormous cafes, the femiproof frequently determined 

 them to try the torture. 



SEMIQUARTILE, or Semiquadrate, is an afpcft 

 of the planets, when diftant from each other 45 degrees, or 

 one fign and a half. 



SEMIQUAVER, in Mufc. See Qltaver. 



SEMIQUINTILE is an afpeft of tlie planets, when at 

 the diflance of 36 degrees from one another. 



SEMIRA, i;i Geography. See Samira. 



SEMIRAMIS, in Biography, queen of Affyria, a very 

 diftinguifhcd perfonage in ancient hillory, lived at a period 

 fo remote, that little can be known with certainty of l-"r 

 aftioMS. It appears, however, that Semiramis was a female 

 of obfcure origin, but of great beauty and a fuperior under- 

 ilandiiig, and that fhe became the wife of Menon, an ofiiccr 

 of high ranli under king Ninus ; that following licr huf- 

 band to the army, file engaged in the invafion of Baftra, 

 and attraftf d the king's notice, whom he afterwards married, 

 her former hufband, through jealoufy or defpair, having put 

 an end to his life. After the death of Ninus, who left her 

 regent and guardian of their infant fon, flie ail'umed tlie 

 reins of empire, and governed with great glory. She 

 founded the famous city of Babylon : then purfuing her 

 hufband's plan of conqucfl, and marching through Media 

 and Perfia, every where, it is faid, leaving traces of her 

 fplendour, in works of magnificence and utility, penetrated 

 to the banks of the Indus. She there encountered the king 

 of the country, at the head of a vail army, and underwent 

 a total defeat, whicii obliged her to return to Baftra with 

 fcarcely a third part of her forces. A confpiracy being 

 then formed to afl'aflinate her, at the infligation of licr own 

 fon, fhe either foil under it, or was obliged to refign her 

 crown after wearing it upwards of 40 years. 



SEMIREVERBERATORY Fire, in Chemlflry, a term 



ufed to exprefs fuch a reverberatory fire, in which tlie flame 

 is only beaten back upon the bottom of the velTel. 



SEMIRHOMBUS, in Surgery, a fort of bandage. 

 SEMIRUS, in /Indent Geography, a navigable river of 

 Italy, in Brutium, the country of the Locri, according to 

 Pliny. 



SEMIS, among the Romans, thehalf oftheax. 

 SEMI SAT, in Geography. See Sami.sat. 

 SEMISEXTILE, or Semisextus, or S. S. an afpeft 

 of two planets, wherein they are diflant from each other one- 

 twelfth part of a circle, or 30 degrees. 



The femifextile was added to the ancient afpefts by 

 Kepler ; and, as he fays, from meteorological obferva- 

 tions. 



SEMISICILICUS, a word ufed by fome pharmaceutic 

 writers to exprefs a drachm. 



SEMISIDERATUS, a word ufed by fome for a perfon 

 ftruck with a hemiplegia. 



SEMISOSPIRO, in the Italian Mufic, a little paufe, 

 or the eighth part of a bar in common time. 



SEMISPINALIS DoRSi, m Anatomy, a portion of the 

 mufcular mafs, wliich fills the hollow of the fpine between 

 the traniverfe and the fpinous procefl'es. It arifes from the 

 tranfverfe procefTes of four, five, fix, or feven of the 

 inferior dorfal vertebrae, beginning with the fecond from the 

 loins, and ia inferted in the fpinous procefTes of the two 

 loweft cervical, and of the two, three, or four firfl dorfal 

 vertebra. It lies on the multifidus fpina, with which it is 

 much connefted ; and it is covered by the longiflimus dorfi 

 and complexus. It is defcribed as a diftinft mufcle by Al- 

 binus and Soemmerring : Boyer and Bichat include it with 

 the multifidus fpinx under the name of tranfverfaire epineux. 

 See Multifidus, under which article its aftion is de- 

 fcribed. 



SEMITA LuMlNOSA, a name given to a kind of lucid 

 traft in the heavens, which a little before the vernal equinox, 

 or after the autumnal, may be feen about fix o'clock at 

 night, extending from the weftern edge of the horizon, up 

 towards the Pleiades. 



The phenomenon has been taken notice of by Caffini and 

 Fatio, who both evince, that this light comes difFufcd from 

 both fides of the fun. Its brightnefs is much the fame with 

 that of the via laftea, or the tail of a comet : it is feen 

 plaineil with us about the beginning of Oftober, or the 

 latter end of February. 



Fatio conjcftures, tliat the bodies, or rather the conge- 

 ries or aggregate of bodies, which occafions this light, 

 conforms to the fun like a lens, and takes it to have ever 

 been the fame ; but Caflini thinks it arifes from a vafl 

 number of fmall planets, which encompafs the fun, and 

 give this light by refleftion ; efleeming it alfo not to have 

 exilled long before he obferved it. See Zodiacal Light. 



SEMITALES, among the Romans, a name given to 

 the gods who were tlie proteftors of roads. 

 SEMITEINTS. See Teints. 



SEMITENDINOSUS,^feminervofus;ifchio-prc-tibien,) 

 in Anatomy, a long mufcle at the back of the thigh, thicker 

 above and very flender below, extending from the tuberofity 

 of the ifchium to the tibia. It arifes from tlie ifchium by a 

 tendon, which, for the fpace of three inches, is common to 

 it with the long head of the biceps flexor cruris. The mufcular 

 fibres arifing from tiiis tendon form a fafciculus, which is firfl 

 flender, then larger, and then again diminiflicd, and iiiter- 

 fefled in its middle by an aponcurofis very obliquely diredled. 

 The femitcndlnofus pifles along the inner and pollcrior edge 

 of the thigh, and terminates below in a tendon, which firft 



conftitutes 



