2t. In falconry, to wipe : said of a hawk that 
cleans its beak. Berncrs. (ffalliwell.) 
II. ititrans. To ooze out. [Prov. Kng.] 
sew 3 (su), n. [Also dial, seugh; <sew 3 , v.~\ A 
drain; a sewer. [Prov. Eng.] 
The town sinke, the common sew. 
Xomenclator (ed. 1585), p. 391. (Skeat.) 
S6W 4 t, P. ' [< ME. sewen, serve at table, lit. 
act as a sewer, or bearer of dishes; a back-for- 
mation, < sewer, one who sets the table, etc.: 
see sewer^.~\ To serve at table, as by carving, 
tasting, etc. Palsgrave. 
To tewe at ye mete ; deponere. Cath. Ang., p. 331. 
The sewer muste sewe, & from the borde conuey all 
maner of potages, metes, & sauces. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 270. 
sew 5 t, " An obsolete spelling of sue. 
sew 6 . An obsolete or dialectal preterit of sow 1 . 
sewage (su'aj), w. [< new-, the apparent base 
of sewer 3 , + -age. Cf. sewerage.'] 1. The mat- 
ter which passes through sewers ; excreted and 
waste matter, solid and liquid, carried off in 
sewers and drains. Also sewerage. 
Kivers which have received sewage, even if that sewage 
has been purified before its discharge into them, are not 
safe sources of potable water. 
E. Frankland, Chemistry, p. 555. 
2. Same as sewerage, 1. [An objectionable use. ] 
= Syn. See sewerage. 
sewage (su'aj),#. t. ; pret. and pp. setvaged, ppr. 
New/aging. [< sewage, .] 1. To fertilize by 
the application of sewage. [Recent.] 
In irrigated meadows, though in a less degree than on 
sewaged land, the reduction of the amount, or even the ac- 
tual suppression, of certain species of plants is occasion- 
ally well-marked. Encyc. Brit., XIII. 364. 
2. To furnish with sewers ; drain with sewers ; 
sewer. Encyc. Diet. 
sewage-fungus (su'aj-fung"gus), M. A name 
applied, especially by engineers, to Bengiaton 
alba, a schizomycetous fungus found in sul- 
phureted waters and the waters discharged 
from manufactories and sewage-works, it has 
the remarkable power of extracting sulphur from the 
water and storing It up in the form of minute refringent 
globules. 
sewage-grass(su'aj-gras), n. Grass grown upon 
sewageu land; grass manured by the applica- 
tion of sewage. 
That sewage-grass is very inferior to normal herbage. 
Science, XL 158. 
sewantt, a. and n. See siiaiit. 
sewelt, sewellt, . See shewel. 
sewellel (se-werel), . [Amer. Ind. : see quot. ] 
A rodent mammal of the family Haplodontidse, 
Haplodon ruftis, inhabiting Washington and 
Oregon and parts of California. It is most nearly 
related to the beaver, but resembles the muskrat in size, 
shape, and general appearance, except that it has almost 
no tail. The length is about a foot. The color is uniform 
rich dark brown, paler and grayer below. It is not aquat- 
ic, lives in burrows, and feeds, on roots, herbs, and seeds. 
A second species is sometimes distinguished as H. colifar- 
nicus. The name sewellel first appears in print in this 
form in the " Travels " of Lewis and Clarke, where the 
authors say "sewellel is a name given by the natives to a 
small animal found in the timbered country." On this 
animal Rannesque based his Anisonyx rufa (whence Hap- 
lodon rufus of Coues), and Richardson his Aplodontia lepo- 
rina. See Haplodon. Also called boomer and mountain- 
beaver. 
Its name, in the Nisqually language, is showt'l (show- 
hurll, Suckley). . . . The Yakima Indians call it squallah. 
. . . The Chinook name for the animal itself is o-gwool-lal. 
She-wal-lal (sewellel, corrupt) is their name for the robe 
made of its skins. 
Quoted in Coues, Monographs of North American 
[Rodentia (1877), pp. 596, 597. 
sewen, n. See sewin. 
sewentt, a. See suant. 
sewer 1 (so'er), .. [< ME. sewer, soware, sawere; 
< sew 1 + -ei' 1 .] One who sews oruses the needle. 
Euery seruant that ys of the forsayd crafte [tailors] that 
takyt wagys to the waylor of xx. s. and a-boffe, schall pay 
xx. d. to be a ffre sawere to us. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 314. 
A sewer, filator, sutor-trix. Cath. Ang., p. 331. 
Specifically (a) In bookbinding, the operator, usually a 
woman, who sews together the sections of a book. (6) In 
entom., the larva of a tortricid moth, one of the leaf- 
rollers or leaf-folders, as Phoxopteris nubeculana, the ap- 
ple-leaf sewer. 
sewer 2 t (su'er), . [Early mod. E. also sewar ; 
< ME. sewer, seicare, prob. short for assewer, as- 
seour, which also occur, in household ordinances 
and accounts; < AF. asseour (ML. adsessor), 
one who sets the table, < asseoir, set, place, orig. 
intr., sit by, < ML. assidere, sit by, assess, < L. 
ad, to, by, + sedere, sit: see sit, assize, assess. 
Cf. sew*. The word seems to have been con- 
fused with sew 5 , now sue, follow (as if 'an at- 
tendant'), or with sew 2 , juice, broth (as if 'a 
kitchen officer ' or ' a cook ') .] A person charged 
5534 
with the service of the table, especially a head 
servant or upper servant in such a capacity. 
To be a sewere y wold y hed the connynge ; . . . 
y wold se the sigt of a Sewere what wey he shewethe in 
seruynge. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 161. 
Why are not you gone to prepare yourself? 
May be you shall be sewer to the first course, 
A portly presence! Fletcher, Rule a Wife, iii. 1. 
sewer 3 (su'er), n. [Early mod. E. also scwar, 
sure, also shore (where sh is due to the pron. of 
before the diphthongal ew or ); also dial. 
(Sc.) sirer (like skiver = skewer); < late ME. 
sewer, earlier 'sewere (AL. sen-era, suera), < 
OF. seuwiere, a canal, as for conducting water 
to a mill, or for draining a pond, < ML. as if 
*exaquaria, equiv. to exaquatorium, a canal for 
draining, < L. ex, out, + aqua, water: see ewe 2 . 
Similarly, E. ewer 1 , a water-bearer, is ult. < L. 
aquarius, and ewer' 2 , a water-pitcher, ult. < ML. 
aquaria: see ewer 1 , ewer 2 . The word setter 3 
has appar. been confused with sew 3 , drain.] 
1. A conduit or canal constructed, especially 
oonoo 
Cross-sections of Sewers. 
A, B, C, D, E, forms used in London, Paris, and other European 
cities ; F, G, H, I, T, K, L, special forms used in New York and other 
American cities. V shows a method of repairing with tiles the bottom 
of an oval sewer : a, concrete ; b, b' , tiles. G, tile-bottomed sewer : 
a, tile bottom. H, barrel sewer, also called trunk stiver, of wood 
txmnd with iron, for outlets at river-fronts, with a manhole at the top, 
used under piers, etc. I, a form used for large sewers : t, foundation ; 
a, stonework ; b, concrete ; c, an inverted arch of brickwork ; rf, arch. 
I, section of pipe-sewer. K, half-section of sewer having section simi- 
lar to B, but also provided with u spandrel, a. L, the aqueduct form, 
i for large sewers only : it rests on a bed of concrete, t . 
town or city, to carry off superfluous water, 
soil, and other matters ; a public drain. 
Hect. Goodnight, sweet Lord Mcnelaus. 
Ther. Sweet draught : sweet quoth-a? sweet sinke, sweet 
sure. SAo*., T. and C. (ed. 1623), v. 1. 83. 
Ay, marry, now you speak of a trade [informer] indeed ; 
. . . the common-shore of a city ; nothing falls amiss into 
them. Shirley, Love Tricks, i. 1. 
Thither flow, 
As to a common and most noisome sewer, 
The dregs and feculence of every land. 
Cowper, Task, i. 683. 
2. In aniil. and rod'/., a cloaca Courts of Com- 
missioners of Sewers, in England, temporary tribunals 
with authority over all defenses, whether natural or arti- 
ficial, situate by the coasts of the sea, all rivers, water- 
courses, etc., either navigable or entered by the tide, or 
which directly or indirectly communicate with such rivers. 
Open sewer, a sewer of which the channel is open to 
the air, instead of being concealed underground or covered 
in. 
sewer 3 (su'er), v. t. [< sewer 3 , n.~] To drain by 
means of sewers; provide with sewers. 
A few years ago the place was sewered, with the result 
of a very substantial saving of life from all causes, and 
notably from phthisis. Lancet, No. 3430, p. 1056. 
sewerage (su'er-aj), n. [< sewer 3 + -age.] 1. 
The process or system of collecting refuse and 
removing it from dwellings by means of sewers. 
2. A system of sewers : as, the sewerage of Lon- 
don. 3. Same as sewage, l. = Syn. Sewerage, Sew- 
age. Sewerage is generally applied to the system of sew- 
ers, and sewage to the matter carried off. 
sewer-basin (su'er-ba"sn), n. A catch-basin 
connected with a sewer, usually by a trap- 
device. 
sewer-gas (su'er-gas), n. The contaminated 
air of sewers. 
sewer-hunter (su'er-hun"ter), n. One who 
hunts in sewers for articles of value. 
The mud-larks, the bone-grubbers, and the sewer-hunt- 
ers. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, 1. 5. 
sewennan(su'er-man), n.; pi. sewermen (-men). 
[< sewer 3 + man.] A man who works in sew- 
ers. 
Sewers unhealthy ! Look at our stalwart sewermen. 
N. and Q., 7th ser., IV. 191. 
sewer-rat (su'er-rat), n. The ordinary gray 
or brown Norway rat, Mus decumanus : so called 
as living in sewers. 
The sewer-rat is the common brown or Hanoverian rat, 
said by the Jacobites to have come in with the first George, 
and established itself after the fashion of his royal family. 
Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, II. 489. 
sewin, sewen (su'in, -en), n. [< W. sewi/n, a 
grayling, sewin.] The scurf, Salmo trutta cam- 
Imcus. 
Sewin . . . are the very best fish I catch. 
R. D. Blaclnnore, Maid of Sker, i. 
sewing-machine 
sewing 1 (so'ing), n, [< ME. sewynr/e; verbal n. 
of scir 1 , )'.] 1. The act or occupation of one 
who sews or uses the needle. 
Asewynge; niatura, sutura. Cath. Ang., p. 331. 
2. A piece of work with needle and thread. 
3. In bookbinding, the operation of fastening 
together with thread the sections of a book. 
The thread is passed through the central double leaf of 
the folded section at intervals of about 1J inches, and re- 
versed around the cross-bands from the top to the bottom 
of the book. It is distinct from stitching. 
4. pi. Compound threads of silk wound, 
cleaned, doubled, and thrown, to be used for 
sewing. 5. In lace-making, the operation of 
securing one piece of lace to another by any 
process, as when fresh threads and bobbins are 
introduced into the work, or when finished 
pieces are combined by working the background 
to both of them Plain sewing, needlework of a sim- 
ple and useful sort, as the manufacture of garments, prepa- 
ration of bed-linen, and the like. 
sewing' 2 t (su'ing), n. [< ME. sewynge; verbal 
n. of sew 3 , .] The serving of food; the duty 
of a sewer or server. 
Than goo to the borde of sewynge, and se ye haue offy- 
cers redy to conuey, & seruantes for to here, your dysshes. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 270. 
Sewing 3 t, <* and n. See suing. 
sewing-bench (so'ing-bench), n. Same as sew- 
ing-prcss. 
sewing-bird (so'ing-berd), H. A clamp used 
by women to hold fabrics in position for stitch- 
ing by hand. The bird is screwed to the edge of a table 
or the like ; and its beak, which closes by a spring and can 
be opened by a lever actuated by the tail, holds the mate- 
rial. It is now little used. Compare sewing-clamp. 
sewing-circle (so'ing-ser"kl), ?i, 1: A society 
of women or girls who meet regularly to sew for 
the benefit of charitable or religious objects. 
Sewing-circles are maintained in the most populous 
neighborhoods. ... A circle sews, not for the poor, for 
there are none, but for some public object like an organ 
for the Sunday meeting or a library for the Sunday school. 
The Century, XL. 563. 
2. A meeting of such an organization. 
sewing-clamp (so'ing-klamp), n. A clamp for 
holding firmly 
material to be 
sewed; especial- 
ly, in saddlery, a 
stout clamp for 
holding leather 
while it is being 
stitched. Com- 
pare sewing-bird. _ 
sewing-cotton 
(so'ing-kot'n), 
n. Cotton thread 
made for plain 
sewing in white 
or printed cot- 
ton goods. 
sewing-horse 
(so ' ing - hors), 
n. In saddlery, 
a sewing-clamp 
with its sup- 
ports. 
sewinglyt, adv. 
A./' 
Sewing-horse. 
tt, seat; b, legs; c, c', clamping -jaws, 
c' hinged to c at ft; e, strap fastened to 
c' passing through c, and attached by the 
chainyto the foot-lever^, the latter pivoted 
at h; f, spring which opens the jaws when 
not pulled together by e; &, ratch which g 
engages to hold the jaws together. 
sewing-machine (so'ing-ma-shen^), n. 1. A 
machine for stitching fabrics, operated by foot 
or other power. The sewing-machine is the outgrowth 
of a very great number of experiments and inventions made 
in France, England, and the United States, and first cul- 
minating practically in the machine invented by Elias 
Howe. It was developed through the simple type of ma- 
chine using a needle which passes through the fabric a 
type which sur- 
vives in the Bonnaz 
or embroidery ma- 
chine. Then fol- 
lowed the chain- 
stitch machine 
and the machines 
making an inter- 
woven stitch, and 
lastly came the 
lock-stitch ma- 
chines, which are 
the most approved 
type at the pres- 
ent day. The va- 
rious kinds of sew- 
ing-machines are 
all essentially 
alike, and have 
been adapted, by 
the aid of numer- 
ous mechanical at- 
tachments and de- 
vices, to perform 
Fig. i. Singer Sewing-machine. 
, 
almost every kind of sewing that can be done by hand. In 
figs. 1 and 2 (Singer sewing-machine) a is the frame and 
cloth-plate or bed-plate ; b, arm ; c, treadle ; e, pitman ; d, 
main driving-wheel ; /, band ; g, small driving-wheel at- 
