Scilla 
plants, type of the tribe ScilJeee. It is character- 
ized by flowers with separate spreading perianth-segments, 
marked by a single central nerve, stamens with thread- 
shaped filaments, and a three-celled ovary with slender 
style, and usually two ovules in each cell. The fruit is a 
thin globose three-lobed capsule, long enveloped by the 
withered perianth, and containing three to six black obo- 
void or roundish seeds with a hard albumen. There are 
about 80 species, natives of the Old World throughout 
temperate regions, and also within the tropics upon 
mountains, with one species said to occur in Chili. They 
are stemless plants from an onion-like coated bulb, with 
narrow radical leaves, and (lowers on a leafless scape, which 
are blue, pink, or purple, and form racemes \vhich are of- 
ten very much prolonged. Many are cultivated for bor- 
ders, especially S. amoenula (S. Sitirica), with porcelain- 
blue flowers in earliest spring. (For various species former- 
ly classed here, see squill, Urginea, Camassia, and cainasn.) 
Several species are Known as mid hyacinth. (See hya- 
cinth, 2.) S. verna, the spring squill of England, is also 
known as sea-onion. S. nutans, a beautiful species abun- 
dant in British copses, by some assigned to a genus En- 
dymion(Dumortier, 1827), is known in England as bluebell, 
in Scotland as harebell, exchanging names with Campanula 
rotundifolia, which is the bluebell of Scotland, but the 
harebell of England and the United States. & nutans is 
also known as bell-bottle, crow-bells, crow-leek. See also 
culoerkey, 2, and cut under ecape. 
2. [I. c.J In the United States and British phar- 
macopoeias, the sliced bulb of Urginea scilla; 
squill. It is used in medicine as an expectorant 
and diuretic. 
Scilleae (sil'e-e), n. pi [NL. (Bartling, 1830), 
< Scilla + -ex.] A tribe of liliaceous plants, 
characterized by the flowers being borne in 
a terminal leafless and unbranched raceme. 
They do not produce umbels as the related tribe AUiete, 
nor flowers so few nor so large as the Tulipese; otherwise, 
in habit and in growth from a coated bulb, the three tribes 
are closely akin. The Mlle/f include about 23 genera, 
of which Scilla is the type, mainly natives of temperate 
climates and very largely South African. For important 
genera, see Hyacinthus, iluscari, Ornithogalum, Camassia. 
scillocephalous (sil-o-sef 'a-lus), a. [< Gr. 
ova/uoK0a/lof, also o-^iWpaAof, having a squill- 
shaped head (an epithet applied to Pericles), < 
ere/A/a, squill, + Ktyaty, head.] Having a point- 
ed head. 
scillocephalus (sil-o-sef a-lus), n. ; pi. scillo- 
cephali (-15). [NL. : see sciljocephalous.] A 
person having a cranium which is conical or 
pointed. 
Scillonian (si-16'ni-an), n. [< Stilly (see def.) 
+ -on-ian.] A native or an inhabitant of the 
Scilly Islands, a small group southwest of Eng- 
land. 
scimitar, scimiter, n. See simitar. 
Seine, . See skinkS. 
Scincidae (sin'si-de), n. pi. [NL., < Scincus + 
-idee.] A family of eriglossate lacertilians, 
having united parietal bones, the supratempo- 
ral fossse roofed over, clavicles dilated proxi- 
mally, arches present, premaxillary double, 
and the body provided with osteodermal plates 
as in the Gcrrhosauridse : it is typified by the 
genus Scincus; the sldnks. The family is wide- 
ly distributed, and the species and genera are 
very numerous. See cuts under Cyclodus, Scin- 
cus, and skink. 
scinciform (sin'si-form), a. [< L. scincus, skink, 
+ forma, form.] Resembling a skink in form 
or asp_ect ; related to the skinks ; scincoid. 
SCincoid (sing'koid), a. and n. [< NL. Scincus 
+ -old.] I. a. Resembling a skink; related 
or belonging to the Scincidse; scinciform. 
II. n. A member of the Scincidee in a broad 
sense. 
Scincoidea (sing-koi'de-a), . pi. [NL., < 
Scincus + -oidea.] A group corresponding to 
the Scincoides of Oppel, containing forms now 
separated in different families ; the scincoid 
or scinciform lizards. 
Scincoidian (sing-koi'di-an), a. and n. [< scin- 
coid + -i-an.~\ Same as scincoid. 
Scincus (sing'kus), n. [NL. (Laurenti), < L. 
scincus, < Gr. aKiyicot;, mfyj-of, a kind of lizard: 
see skink 2 .] The typical genus of the family 
Skink (Scfnctts tfficmcilis). 
Scincidx: formerly used with great latitude, 
now restricted to a few species of northern 
Africa and Syria, as S. officinalis, the officinal 
skink, or adda, once in high medical repute. 
5398 
Scindapsus (sin-dap'sus), n. [NL. (Schott, 
1832), so called from the climbing habit; < Gr. 
anivSatyoi;, an ivy-like shrub of doubtful genus.] 
A genus of monocotyledonous plants, of the 
order Aracese, tribe Monsteroidese, and subtribe 
Monsteresp. It is characterized by a shrubby climb- 
ing stem, branches beating numerous usually oblique 
leaves with numerous nearly equal curving veins, and 
bisexual flowers without floral envelops, consisting of 
four stamens and a thick truncate and somewhat pris- 
matic ovary which is strongly dilated upward and con- 
tains one cell and one ovule with a large embryo desti- 
tute of albumen. There are 8 species, natives of the East 
Indies, especially Bengal and Java. They are climbing 
shrubs clinging by rootlets produced on the branches, 
and bear taper-pointed leaves, ovate or narrower, with 
long broadly sheathing petioles. The flowers are borne in 
dense masses over a cylindrical spadix inclosed in a boat- 
shaped spathe, and form in fruit a syncarp of closely 
united Juicy berries. Many remarkable plants of other 
genera have been cultivated under this name, especially 
those witt perforated leaves now classed under Monstera. 
Some species have been called Indian ivy, as S. hedera- 
cea, a vine with abruptly pointed leaves. Several bear 
ornamental white-mottled leaves, as 5. (Pathos) argyrxa, 
cultivated from the Philippines under the name silver- 
vine. Several others have often been cultivated under 
the name Pothos. The fruit of 5. officinalis is prescribed 
in India as a diaphoretic, dried sections of it being sold 
by the native diuggists under the name guj-pippvl. 
scinkt, scinquet, n. See skinkS. 
scintilla (sin-til'ii), . [= OF. scintille = Sp. 
centella = Pg. scintilla, centellia = It. scintilla, 
< L. scintilla, a spark; of. Gr. amvOqp, a spark; 
perhaps akin to AS. scinan, etc., shine: see 
shine. Hence ult. (from L. scintilla) E. scintil- 
late, etc., stencil, tinsel.'] 1. A spark; a glim- 
mer ; hence, the least particle ; a trace ; a tittle. 
Perhaps Philip's eyes and mine exchanged glances in 
which ever so small a scintilla of mischief might sparkle. 
Thackeray, 1 hilip, xiv. 
This single quotation . . . throws no scintilla of light 
upon the point in question. 
Lou-ell, Study Windows, p. 385. 
2. {.cap.} [NL.] In zool.: (a) A genus of bi- 
valve mollusks. Deshayes, 1855. (ft) A genus of 
lepidopterous insects. Gucnee, 1879 Scintilla 
Juris, a shadow of law or right, 
scintillant (sin'ti-lant), a. [= F. sciiitillant = 
Sp. centcllante = Pg. It. scintillantc, < L. scin- 
tiltan(t-)s, ppr. of scintillarc, sparkle, glitter, 
gleam, flash: see scintillate.] 1. Emitting lit- 
tle sparks or flashes of light; scintillating; 
sparkling; twinkling. 
But who can view the pointed rays 
That from black eyes scintillant blaze? 
JU . Green, The Spleen. 
Slim spires 
And palace-roofs and swollen domes uprose 
Like scintillant stalagmites in the sun. 
T. . Aldrich, Pythagoras. 
2. In her., sparkling; having sparks as if of 
fire issuing from it : noting any bearing so rep- 
re sented. 
scintillante (sheu-til-lan'te), a. [It. : see scin- 
tillanl."\ lii music, brilliant; sparkling. 
scintillate (sin'ti-lat), r. i. ; pret. and pp. scin- 
tillated, ppr. scintillating. [< L. scintillatus, pp. 
of scintillare (> It. scintillare = Pg. scintillar = 
Sp. cen tellar, cen tellear = Pr. scin ttllar = F. scin- 
tiller), sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash, < scintilla, a 
spark: see scintilla.'] To emit sparks; hence, 
to sparkle or twinkle, as the fixed stars. 
A very long silence succeeded. What struggle there 
was in him between Nature and Grace In this interval, I 
can not tell ; only singular gleams scintillated in his eyes, 
and strange shadows passed over his face. 
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xxxv. 
While Holmes's rockets curve their long ellipse, 
And burst in seeds of tire that burst again 
To drop in scintillating rain. 
Lowell, Agassiz, iii. 3. 
= Syn. Sparkle, Glister, etc. (see glared, v. i.\ coruscate. 
scintillation (sin-ti-la'sbpn), n. [< F. scintilla- 
tion = Pr. scintilacio = Sp. centilacion = Pg. 
scintillacSo = It. scinliUasione, < L. sciiitilla- 
tio(n-), < scintillare, pp. scintillatus, sparkle : see 
scintillate."] 1. The act of scintillating, or 
emitting sparks or spark-like flashes of light ; 
the act of sparkling. 2. A flash; a spark. 
Some scintillations of Promethean fire. 
Coirper, ti. of Milton's Ode to his Father. 
3. Specifically, the twinkling or tremulous mo- 
tion of the light of the larger fixed stars. By 
shaking the head, so as to elongate the image, it is seen 
that not merely the intensity, but also the color of the 
light varies. See scintHlometer. 
scintillometer (sin-ti-lom'e-ter), n. [< L. scin- 
tilla, a spark, + Gr. utrpov, measure.] An in- 
strument devised by Montigny for measuring 
the intensity of scintillation of the stars. The 
apparatus consists essentially of a circular glass plate 
mounted obliquely upon an axis very near and in front of 
the eyepiece of a telescope. An opening in the center of 
the plate allows the insertion of a ring, through which 
passes the axis, parallel to the optical axis of the telescope 
scioptic 
and at a distance from it of about twenty-five millimeters. 
The plate is rotated about the axis by a mechanism. By 
this device, the rays of light from a star are refracted 
througli the inclined glass plate, and the image describes 
a perfect circle in the field. If the star undergoes no 
change, the circumference is a continuous line exhibiting 
the color of the star ; but if the star scintillates, this cir- 
cumference is divided into fugitive arcs of different colors. 
The number of changes of color per unit of time indicates 
the intensity of the scintillation. 
SCintillous (sin'ti-lus), . [Also scintiltose; < 
L. scintilla, a spark (see scintilla), + -ous.~\ 
Scintillant. [Rare.] 
scintillously (sin'ti-lus-li), adr. [Early mod. 
E. vyiitillHuxl/i ; < scintillous 3- -f// a .] In a scin- 
tillous or sparkling manner. 
Wyth theyr eyen beholdinge a trauers of stomackes 
chaufed syntillously. Skellon, Boke of Three Fooles. 
SCiography (sl-og'ra-fi ), n. Same as sciagrn/iliy. 
The first sciagraphy, or rude delineation, of atheism. 
Cudworth, Intellectual System (1S78X v. 3. 
sciolism (si'o-lizm), . [< sciol-ottti + -ism.'] 
Superficial knowledge ; unfounded pretense to 
profound or scientific knowledge. 
A status not only much beneath my own, but associated 
at best with the sciolism of literary or political adven- 
turers. George Eliot, Middlemarch, xxxvii. 
Here (in Macbeth] there is some genuine ground for 
the generally baseless and delusive opinion of self-com- 
placent sciolism that he who runs may read Shakespeare. 
A. C. Smnburne, Shakespeare, p. 180. 
sciolist (si'o-list), n. [< sciol-ous + -ist.~] One 
who has only superficial knowledge ; a pre- 
tender to profound or scientific knowledge ; a 
smatterer. 
It is the ingrateful Genius of this Age that, if any Sciolist 
can find a Hole in an old Author's Coat, he will endeavour 
to make it much more wide. Ilowell, Letters, iv. 81. 
It is of great importance that those whom I love should 
not think me a precipitate, silly, shallow sciolist in politics, 
and suppose that every frivolous word that falls from my 
pen is a dogma which I mean to advance as indisputable. 
Macaulan, in Trevelyan, 1. 105. 
sciolistic (si-o-lis'tik), a. [< sciolist + -ic.] Of 
or pertaining to sciolism or sciolists; resem- 
bling a sciolist ; having only superficial know- 
ledge; shallow. 
From its apparently greater freedom in skilful hands, 
blank verse gives more scope to sciolixtic theorizing and 
dogmatism than the rhyming pentameter couplet. 
Lowell, Among my Books, II. 298. 
sciolous (si'o-lus), a. [= Sp. csciolo = Pg. cs- 
ciolo = It. scivlo, < LL. sciolus, one who knows 
little, a smatterer, prop. dim. adj., < L. tscire, 
know: see sclent.] Superficial; shallow. 
I could wish these sciolous zelotists had more judgement 
joined with their zeal. Howtll. 
The speculations of the sciolous. 
Hoffman, Course of Legal Study (2d ed., 1836), II. 196. 
sciolto (shiol'to), a. [It., pp. of scior/Iiere, un- 
tie, loose, dissolve, < L. exsolverc, loose, < ex, 
out, + solrere, loose: see solve."] In music: (a) 
Free; unrestrained: opposed to strict: as, a 
fug&sciolta (a free fugue). (6) Not legato; de- 
tached; staccato. 
sciomachy (si-om'a-ki), n. See srinmachy. 
sciomancy (si'o-man-si), n. [= OF. sciomance 
= Sp. It. sciomaneia, < Gr. axid, a shade, shadow, 
+ /lavrela, divination.] Divination by means 
of the shades of the dead; psychomancy. 
sciomantic (si-o-man'tik), a. [< sciomancy 
(-mant-) + -ic.] Of or pertaining to sciomancy. 
scion (si'on), n. [Formerly also sion, scien, cion, 
cyan; < ME. sion, sioim, syon, scion, cion, cj/nn, 
< OF. sion, cion, F. scion, dial. cJiion, a scion, 
shoot, sprig, twig; orig. a 'sawing,' a 'cutting,' 
< OF. sier, F. scier, saw, cut, = Sp. Pg. seaar, 
cut, mow, reap, = It. segare, < L. secure, cut: 
see secant, section. The proper spelling is sion ; 
the insertion of c in the F. word, and so into 
the E., is as erroneous as in the E. scythe, 
which is from the same ult. root, and in which 
the c likewise appar. simulates a connection 
with L. scindere, cut.] 1. A shoot or twig, 
especially one cut for the purpose of being 
grafted upon some other tree, or for planting. 
As well the seedes 
As scions from the grettest roote ysette. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 53. 
Our scions, put in wild or savage stock. 
Shak., Hen. V., iii. 5. 7. 
Hence 2. A descendant. 
Herself the solitary scion left 
Of a time-honour'd race. 
Byron, The Dream, ii. 
Was he proud a true scion of the stock? 
BromnniiKj, Ring and Book, II. 331. 
scioptic (si-op'tik), a. [= Pg. sfinptico, < Gr. 
aKia, a shade, shadow, + inrruify, pertaining to 
sight or seeing : see optic."] Of or pertaining to 
