sight 
All guns fitted with a front sight on the top of the piece 
between the trunnions have li ,it is railed a ek-arance- 
aii^lu. l-'iu-i-ixr. Mil. Kncye., p. 358. 
13. All aim or an observation taken by look- 
ing along the course of a gun or an instrument ; 
in IJUH., specifically, the leveling or aiming of 
a gun by the aid of its sights; mint., an instru- 
mental observation of the sun or other heaven- 
ly body for determining the position of a ves- 
sel ; in ' xttm-i/iiig, the fixing, by sight with an in- 
strument, of the relative position of an object 
for the purpose of alinemeut. Coarse sight, in shoot- 
ing, implies an aim taken by exposing a large part of the 
front sight to the eye in covering the object; Jine sight 
implies a careful aim taken by exposing only the summit 
of the front sight. See bead, n., 4. 
Hence 14. A straight stretch of road, as one 
along which t sight may be taken in surveying; 
a Hue uninterrupted by a bend or an elevation : 
as, go on three siglits, and stop at the first house. 
Also called look. [Western U. S.] 15. In i>ic- 
ture-framing, that part of a picture of any kind 
which is exposed to view within the edge of a 
frame or mat; the whole of the space within 
the frame After sight, in com., after presentation. 
Angle of Sight. See angle*. Aperture-sight. Same 
as open bead fright (which see, under bead-sight). At short 
Sight. SeesAort. At Sight, (a) Immediately; as soon 
as seen ; without study or practice : as, to read a piece of 
music at sight; to shoot at sight, (b) In cam., on presen- 
tation. Bill of sight. See WK3._Buckhorn-sight, a 
form of rear sight used for rifles : so called from a fancied 
resemblance of the curved ears adjacent to the sighting- 
notch to the horns of a deer. Field Of sight. Same as 
field of vision (which see, under field). In Sight, (a) 
Within the power or range of vision ; in or into a state of 
visibility to an observer or observers : as, the ship hove in 
sight. 
The Spanish fleet thou canst not see because 
It is not yet in sight ! Sheridan, The Critic, ii. 2. 
(&) Within view or seeing distance; in a position permit- 
ting sight or observation: with of: as, to be in sfght of 
land. 
In sight of quiet sands and seas. 
A. C. Swinburne, Felise. 
(c) Within the range of observation or knowledge ; known 
from inspection, search, or inquiry ; that can be calculated 
upon as existing or available : as, the ore in sight in a 
mine ; the amount of grain in sight for market, (d) In 
estimation or consideration ; as seen or judged ; according 
to mental perception : with a possessive pronoun : as. to 
do what is right in one's own sight. Line of sight, the 
right line joining the object looked at and the eye of the 
observer. Natural angle of sight, in gun., the angle 
included between the natural line of sight and the axis of 
the piece prolonged. Natural line of sight, the line of 
metal of apiece along which the eye ranges. Nocturnal 
Sight. Same as day-blindness. On or upon Sight. Same 
as at sight. Out of sight, (a) Beyond or away from the 
field of vision ; hidden from \ iew, especially by distance ; 
not in sight. 
Out of sight, out of mind. 
Popular saying. 
(b) Beyond all comparison ; to or in a transcendent de- 
gree ; in an unrivaled manner : as, to beat an opponent 
out of sight, as in a game or an election. [Colloq. ) 
I took to bed . . . the impression that he ISkubeleff] 
was out of sight the most muscular and independent 
thinker of any Russian I had met. 
Arch. Forbes, Souvenirs of some Continents, p. 13. 
Point of sight. See poini. Quarter-sights, in gun., 
notches or marks made in or on the upper quarters of 
the base-ring of a guu above a horizontal plane tangent 
to the upper parts of the trunnions, formerly used in 
connection with the muzzle-sights to give the gun an ele- 
vation ranging from point-blank to 8. Reflecting sight. 
See reflecting. Second sight, a faculty of internal sight 
supposed to be possessed by some persons, whereby they 
see distant objects or occurrences, or foresee future events, 
as if present before their eyes : so called because it takes 
the place of natural sight, which for the time is in abey- 
ance. Belief in this faculty, and seemingly strong evi- 
dences of its reality, have existed among nearly all races 
from the earliest period of history. In modern Europe 
they abound most among people of Celtic origin, and es- 
pecially those of the Highlands and islands of Scotland. 
See clairvoyance. Slit bar-sight. See barl, 16. Tele- 
scopic sight, a small telescope mounted as a rear sight 
or breech-sight upon a small-arm or cannon, so as to vary 
the angles of sight in aiming for long ranges. To heave 
In sight. See heave. To lose sight of. (a) To cease 
to see; cease to have knowledge of: as, we. shortly lost 
sight of land ; I lost sight of my friend for many years, 
(ft) To overlook ; omit to take into calculation : as, you 
lose sight of my last argument. To put OUt Of Sight. 
(a) To place out of the range of vision ; hide. (6) To con- 
sume. [Slang. ] 
The raw spirits that they [Poles] put out of sight without 
so much as winking struck me with abject amazement. 
Arch. Forbes, War between France and Germany, II. 255. 
To take Sight of something, to bring it into the direct 
line of view by instrumental means, as in aiming or level- 
ing agun oraquadrant.-Vemier-scale sight, in arifle, 
a back-sight which can be accurately adjusted by means 
of a vernier attachment. The bar of the sight carries a 
slotted scale, and the peep-sight is raised or depressed by 
a screw. 
sight 1 (sit), B. t. [= Sw. xit/ta = Dan. s/gtc, aim 
at; from the noun.] 1. To come in sight or 
get sight of; bring into view, especially into 
one's own view, as by approach or by search; 
make visible to one's self: as, to nigh Hand ; to 
sight game. 
6621 
Spanish ships of war at sea ! we have si-ghted fifty-three. 
Tennyson, The Revenge. 
2. To take a sight of; make an observation of, 
especially with an instrument: as, to sight a 
star. 3. In com., to present to sight; bring 
under notice: as, to sight a bill (that is, to pre- 
sent it to the drawee for acceptance). 4. To 
direct upon the object aimed at by means of a 
sight or sights, as a firearm. 
The shot struck just as a brave and skilful officer was 
sighting the piece. J. K. Uosmer, Color-Guard, xv. 
5. To provide with sights, or adjust the sights 
of, as a gun or an instrument. 
It is the rifling, sighting, and regulation of the arm that 
makes a perfect match-rifle. 
IT. W. Greener, The Gun, p. 146. 
To sight an anchor, to heave it up to see its condition. 
sight-t. A Middle English preterit of sigh 1 . 
sight-bar (sit'biir), . A bar of metal forming 
part of the breech-sight of a cannon, having 
the range marked on it in yards or degrees. 
sight-draft (slt'draft), . In com., a draft pay- 
able at sight that is, on presentation. Also 
siqlt t-ltill. 
Sighted (si'ted), a. [<sighft+-ed2.} 1. Hav- 
ing eyesight; capable of seeing. [Rare.] 
A partially sighted girl dreams repeatedly of a wide 
river, and is afraid of being dashed across it, while anx- 
ious to secure the flowers on the opposite bank, which 
she dimly sees. New Princeton Rev., V. 33. 
2. Having sight of some special character; see- 
ing in a particular way : in composition : as, f ar- 
or long-sighted, near- or shoTt-sightcd, quick- 
sighted, sharp-sighted. 3. Having a sight; fit- 
ted with a sight or sights, as a firearm; by 
extension, arranged with sights so that a cer- 
tain definite distance can be reached by using 
the sights : as, a rifle sighted for a thousand 
yards. 
sighten(si'tn),t'. t. [< .sight 1 + -en 1 .} In calico- 
printing, to add a fugitive color to (a paste), to 
enable the printer to see whether the figures 
are well printed or otherwise. 
sightening (sit'ning), n. [Verbal n. of sighten, 
t'.] A color used temporarily to enable a cal- 
ico-printer to judge of the pattern. 
sight-feed (sit'fed), a. Noting a lubricator in 
which the feeding of the lubricant is visible 
through a tube of glass, uniformity of feeding 
being thus assured. 
Sightful (sit'ful), a. [< sight 1 + -ful.} Having 
full sight ; clear-sighted. 
'Tis passing miraculous that your dul and blind worship 
should so sodainly turne both sigh(full and witfull. 
Chapman, Masque of Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn. 
Sightfulnesst (sit'ful-nes), . Clearness of 
sight. 
Let us not wink, though void of purest sightfulness. 
Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, ii. 
sight-hole (sit'hol), n. A hole to see through. 
The generator is provided with a door, fuel-hopper, and 
valve, stoke- and sight-holes. Sci. Ainer., N. S., LIV. 60. 
sighting-notch (si'ting-noch), n. The notch, 
nick, or slot in the middle of the hind-sight of 
a firearm. 
sighting-shot (si'ting-shot), n. A shot made 
for ascertaining the qualities of a firearm, and 
discovering whether the projectile will strike 
the spot aimed at, or another point alittle above 
or to one side of it, as is often the case. 
sightless (sit'les), a. [< ME. sigh teles; < sigh t 1 
+ -less.} 1. Lacking sight ; blind. 
Ysaac 
Wurthede sighteles and elde swac. 
Genesis and Exodus (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1528. 
The sightless Milton, with his hair 
Around his placid temples curled. 
Wordsworth, The Italian Itinerant. 
2f. Offensive or unpleasing to the eye ; un- 
sightly. 
Full of unpleasing blots, and sightless stains. 
Sha/c., K. John, iii. 1. 45. 
3f. Not appearing to sight ; invisible. 
Heav'n's cherubim, horsed 
Upon the sightless couriers of the air. 
Shak., Macbeth, i. 7. 23. 
sightlessly (sit'les-li), adv. In a sightless man- 
ner. 
sightlessness (sit'les-nes), n. The state of be- 
ing sightless : want of sight. 
sightliness (sit'li-nes), n. The state of being 
sightly ; comeliness ; pleasing appearance. 
Glass eyes may be used, though not for seeing, for sight- 
liness. Fuller, Holy State (1648), p. 290. 
Sightly (sit'li), a. [< sight 1 + -ly 1 .} Pleasing 
to the eye ; affording gratification to the sense 
of sight; esthetic-ally pleasing. 
Sigillaria 
It lies as m'ghllil mi the back of him 
As great Aleules' shows upon an ass. 
Shale., K. John, ii. 1. 143. 
A great many brave sightly horses were brought out, 
and only one plain nag that made sport. 
Sir li. L 'Estrange. 
sight-opening (sit'6p"ning), n. In armor, the 
opening in the front of the helmet, whether 
fixed or movable, through which the wearer 
looks out. Greek helmets requiring sight-openings 
were less common than some other forms. Roman war- 
helmets left the face exposed, but the helmets of the mid- 
dle ages, beginning toward the end of the t\veltth cen- 
tury, uniformly covered the face, and the management of 
the sight-opening was the most important consideration 
in the design and construction of these. Compare helmet, 
heautne, annet, basinet, luini.re, oeill re. 
Sight-pouch (sit'pouch), w. A long, slender 
case for carrying the breech-sight of a gun, 
suspended from the shoulder. 
Sight-reader (sit're"der), . One who reads at 
sight (something usually requiring previous 
study); specifically, a musician who can accu- 
rately sing or play musical notes on first see- 
ing them, without previous study or practice. 
As a sight reader, he [Reisenauer] was supreme. I have 
seen him take a complicated orchestral score in manu- 
script and play it off at the first reading. 
The Century, XXXV. 728. 
Sight-reading (sit're"ding), re. The act or pro- 
cess of reading a piece of music, or a passage 
in a foreign tongue, at first sight, generally as 
a test of proficiency. 
sight-seeing (sit'se"ing), . The act of seeing 
sights; a going about for the purpose of seeing 
interesting things. 
sight-seeker (sit'se"ker), . One who goes 
about in search of sights. 
sight-seer (sit'se"er), n. One who is fond of, 
or who goes to see, sights or curiosities : as, the 
streets were crowded with eager sight-seers. 
Whenever he travelled abroad, he was a busy sight-seer. 
R. J. Hinton, Eng. Radical Leaders, p. 166. 
sight-shot (sit'shot), . Distance to which the 
sight can reach; range of sight; eye-shot. 
[Rare.] 
It only makes me run faster from the place 'till I get as 
it were out of gightshot. Cowley, Works (ed. 1707), II. 701. 
sight-singing (sit'sing"ing), n. In music, vocal 
sight-reading. See sight-reader. 
Sightsman (sits'man), n. ; pi. sightsmen (-men). 
[< night's, poss. otaighi*, + man.'} If. One who 
points out the sights or objects of interest of a 
place ; a local guide. 
In the first place our sights man (for so they name cer- 
tain pel-sons here who get their living by leading strangers 
about to see the city) went to the Palace Farnese. 
Evelyn, Diary, Nov. 6, 1C44. 
2. One who reads music readily at sight. 
sight-vane (sit'van), . A piece of brass or 
other metal, with a hole or slit in it, attached to 
a quadrant, azimuth compass, or other instru- 
ment, through which aperture the observation 
is made. See cut under prismatic. 
sight-worthy (slfwer'THi), a. Worth seeing. 
In our universities, . . . where the worst College is 
more sight-worthy than the best Dutch Gymnasium. 
Fuller. Holy State, III. iv. 4. 
The most sight-worthy and meritorious thing in the 
whole drama. New York Tribune, May 14, 1862. 
sightyt, n. [< ME. gygliti/, sity; < sight + -j/l.] 
1. Appearing to sight ; visible. Prompt. Pan., 
p. 455. 2. Glaring; glittering. Prompt. Pan., 
p. 455. 
sigil (sij'il), H. [< L. sigillum, dim. of signtim, 
a mark, token, sign, the device on a seal: see 
sign. Cf. seal'*, ult. < d. sigillum.'] A seal; an 
abbreviated sign or signature ; also, an occult 
stamp, mark, or sign, as in magic or astrology. 
See signature, 2. 
She ... 
. . . gave me charms and sigils. for defence 
Against ill tongues that scandal innocence. 
Dryden, i lower and Leaf, 1. <i06. 
Sign and sigil, word of power, 
1'rom the earth raised keep and tower. 
Seott, Bridal of Triermain, iii. 16. 
Sigillaria (sij-i-la'ri-a), n. [NL. (Brongniart, 
1822), < L. sigillum, a seal: see sigil.} A ge- 
nus of very important and widely spread fossil 
plants which occur in the (Carboniferous) coal- 
measures, and which are especially character- 
istic of the middle section of the series. Sigil. 
laria is a tree often of large size, and cliiefly known by 
the peculiar markings on the trunk, which in some re- 
spects resemble those which characterize Lepiaodendron. 
These markings are leaf-scars, and they occur spirally dis- 
tributed around the stem, and generally arranged on ver- 
tical ridges or ribs. Great numbers of species have been 
described, the variations in the form and arrangement of 
the leaf-scars and of the vascular scars being the points 
chiefly relied on for specific distinction. Sigillaria is 
but imperfectly known, so far as foliage and fruit are 
