synod 
thinking the power of the patriarchal office too great. 
The orthodox national churoli ol Hi.- kin^i.ini <j| OntOi 
la also governed by a synod of archbishops mill bishops, 
indepenilent of any ]mtriiirch. -Mixed synod, a synod 
composed uf clergy and laity. Robber synod. Same as 
Latriiciiiiiiin. -2. 
Synodal (sin'od-ul), it. mill 11. J< L. xynndalix, 
< gyHoilim, synod : sec HI/HIM!.'] I. a. Pertaining 
to or proceeding from a synod; Hyuodical. 
Synodal declarations pronounced such ordination* In- 
valid. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 183fiX II. 190. 
Ordinance, provincial or synodal. 
/;. W. IHxon, Hint. Church of F.ng., il. 
Synodal examiner, in the Rom. Coth. CA., an ecclesias- 
li appointed by a diocesan synod to examine Into the 
muunoatioDi of candidates for benefices. Synodal let- 
ter. Nee bull*, 2. 
II. M. If. A payment mail*' by the clergy to 
their bishop at the time of their attendance at 
the synod. 
You do not pay your procurations only, bat our cathe- 
draticals and m/iuHtalit also. 
Bp. Uacket, Abp. Williams, ii. 54. (Damn, under collie- 
(dratical.) 
2. A constitution made in a provincial or dio- 
cesan synod. 
This godly and decent Order . . . hath been BO altered 
... by planting in ... Legends with multitude of Re- 
sponds, . . . Commemorations, and Synodal*. 
Book of Common Prayer [English), Concerning the 
[Service of the Church. 
synodiant (si-no'di-an), n. [< xi/nnil + -tan.] 
A member of a synod. 
Of such as dislike the Synod, none falls heavier upon It 
than a London divine, charging the ttj/nodiarut to have taken 
a previous oath to condemn the opposite party on what 
termes soever. Fuller, Ch. Hist., X. v. 5. 
synodic (si-nod'ik), a. [< L. aynodicus, < Gr. 
crTOo<5(5f, < avvoiof, a synod: see synod.] Same 
as synodical. 
synodical (si-nod'i-kal), a. [< synodic + -al.] 
1. Pertaining to or transacted in a synod: as, 
synodical proceedings or forms. 
As there were no other synods in the days of Uniformity 
than the convocations of the clergy, it has been necessary 
to resort to them wherever It has been desirable to dignify 
any measure of the Reformation by alleging for 
eat authority. R. W. IHxon, Hist. Church of Eng., Mi. 
2. In atttroii., pertaining to a conjunction or two 
successive conjunctions of the heavenly bodies. 
Synodical month, *ee month, i. Synodical revo- 
lution of a planet, with respect to the sun. the period 
which elapses between two consecutive conjunctions or 
oppositions. The period of the synodical revolution of 
Mercury Is 115 days, that of Venus is 584, that of Mars 
780, that of Jupiter 398, that of Saturn 378, that of Uranus 
370, and that of Neptune :i7 J. 
synodically (si-nod'i-kal-i), adv. 1. By the 
authority of a synod. 
Tin' Spirit of God hath directed us ... to address our- 
selves to the church, that In plenary council and assem- 
bly she may synodically determine controversies. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1885), II. 341. 
2. In a synod ; so as to form a synod. 
Dlonyslus, Bishop of Rome, in a letter (wrote, very prol>- 
ably, with the advice and consent of his clergy syiwdically 
convened), . . . explains the doctrine. 
Waterland, Works, II. vill. 
synodist (sin'od-ist), n. [(.synod + -1st.] One 
who adheres to a synod. 
These iynodisti thought tit in Latin as yet to vail their 
decrees from vulgar eyes. Fuller. (Imp. Diet.) 
synod-mant(sin'od-man), n. 1. Amemberofa 
synod. S. /Ji<tfcr,Hudibras, II. iii. 2. Same as 
Synodontidse (sin-o-don'ti-de), n. pi. [NL., < 
Synodus (-odont-) + -idle.'] A family of inio- 
mous fishes, exemplified by the genus Synodus. 
The body Is long and cigar-shaped, covered with regular 
scales and without phosphorescent spots; the mouth Is 
deeply cleft ; Its upper arch is formed by the elongated 
m.-- A lizard-fish ( Trarkinocephahts 
(From Report of U. S. Fish Commission.) 
intermaxillarles; and the gupramaxillarles are rudimen- 
tary or absent. The dorsal fin is short and snbmi >di:m. 
the anal moderate, the pectorals are well developed, and 
the ventrals. also well developed, are not far behind the 
pectorals. The species chiefly inhabit the tropical and 
warm seas ; six reach the shores of the United States, four 
on the eastern :iml two on the western coast. Also&rliri- 
<l;r, Xrttirina. 
Synodontinae (sin'o-don-ti'ne), n. pi. [< Syno- 
(7.v (-iidnut-) + -inif.] The Synodontidse as a 
subfamily of tieoprlidir. 
6137 
Synodontis (sin-o-don'tis), . [NL. (Cuvier, 
1K17). < <!r. nit 1 , together, + odoi'f (bfovr-) = E. 
liii/lli.] A genus of African tiiluridx, having 
nearly 20 species, as the shall, >'. .//<//. 
synodsmant (sin'oilx-man), u. A questman or 
siilrsman (see these words). [Rare.] 
Synodus (.--i 11 '<.>-< I us). . [XI,. (lironovius, 1763; 
Bloeh and Schneider, 1801 ), < ( !r. ai-v, together, 
+ odorf = E. tooth.] 1. Iii iiiitli., a j; ( '""8 of 
lisln's, typical of the family Xi/iuiiliin/iil.v : later 
( 1 H 17) called fia urug. It contains the lizard-flshes or 
snake-fishes, as 5. /cetera, the sand-pike of the Atlantic 
coast of America, and S. lueioeept of the opposite coast 
Another species, usually Included In this genus, Is also 
separated as Trachinocephaltu myopt. See cat under Sy- 
noaoniidie. 
2f. A genus of crustaceans. Latreille, 1824. 
synOBCeOSis isi-nr-se-o'sis), n. [< Or. mvomdu- 
aif, association, < awoiaeiovv, unite as friends or 
kinsmen, < aiv, together, 4- otKttovv, make one's 
own, < oineiof, belonging to one's house, < oinof, 
a house: see economy.] In ///</., combination 
of statements seemingly contradictory : as, " A 
miser owns what be owns as little as what he 
does not own." 
syncecious, synecious i si-ne'shius), . [< Or. 
nn'iiikin, a living or dwelling together, < ai-vomof, 
living in the same house, living together, < awoi- 
Keiv, live together, < aiv, together, + oiKfiv, live. 
dwell, < oiicof, house.] In hot.: (a) Having male 
and female flowers in one head, as is common 
in the Composite, (b) Having male and female 
organs in the same receptacle, as many mosses. 
SynffiCUS (si-ne'kus), n. [NL. (J. Gould, 1842, 
in the form $ynoicu#),<. Gr. oi-voiKot,, living toge- 
ther: see syncecious.] 1. In ornith., a genus of 
quails, peculiar to the Australian region . Several 
species are described, as S. aiutralit, S. tordidvt, S. die- 
mentis, and S. ccrmnug. They are known as tiramp-qvail- 
2. In i ,1/on/., a genus of hymenopterous in- 
sects, of the family Vexpidir. tiittusurr, 1852. 
synomosy (sin'o-mo-si), w.; pi. gytiomotiet (-siz). 
[< Gr. avvufioaia, a conspiracy, an oath-bound 
league, < mimfivi-vat, swear along with, < ai-v, to- 
gether, + biivii-ai, swear, affirm by oath.] Sworn 
brotherhood ; conspiracy; also, a secret society; 
a league or association under oath ; a band of 
conspirators. 
synonym (sin'o-nim), n. [Also synonyme (for- 
merly also, as L., in plural syiionyma, some- 
times used as an E. singular) ; < F. synonyme = 
Sp. sindnimo = Pg. synonymo = It. sinonimo, < 
L. synonynnim,<. Gr. avvuw/iov, a word having 
the same meaning with another, neut. of <rw<i- 
viy/of , having the same name or meaning, < avv, 
together, + ovo//a, name : see oiiym. Cf . anonym, 
antonym, homonym, etc.] 1. A word having 
the same signification as another; one of two 
or more words which have the same meaning; 
by extension, a word having nearly the same 
meaning as another; one of two or more words 
which in use cover to a considerable extent the 
same ground: the opposite of antonym. 
Change the structure of the sentence, substitute one 
tynonyme for another, and the whole effect is destroyed. 
Macaulay, Milton. 
Xiiitiniiiiii* are words of like significance in the main, 
but with a certain unlikeness as well. 
Trench, Study of Words, p. 173. 
2. A word of one language which corresponds 
in meaning with a word in another language. 
See heteronym, 2, paronym, 2, and the quotation 
from Camden under synonymi:c. 3. In not. 
hist., a systematic name having the same, or ap- 
proximately the same, meaning or application 
as another which has superseded it; a technical 
name which, by the rules of nomenclature, is 
not terrable. The question .if the acceptance of a 
generic or a specific name depends upon the law of 
priority, (a) Botanists take 1737, the year of the publica- 
tion of Llnnnus's "Uenera Plantarum, " as the starting- 
point for genera, and 1753, the year of publication of I.in- 
nteus's "Systema Naturae," as the starting-point for spe- 
cies, since in this publication binomials were for the first 
time systematically adopted. The naming of a botanical 
species consists in conferring upon it two appellation^ 
a generic and a specific; and adequate publication con- 
sists in issuing a printed diagnosis sufficient to identify 
the plant with certainty. The earliest name conferred 
after the above dates Is the name by which, according to 
the law of priority, the plant must be known, providing, 
of course, that the classification Is correct; and it is held 
that a strict adherence to this rule is essential In order to 
a stable systematic nomenclature. Since plants have often 
been placed in a wrong genus, the question arises whether 
the absolutely first specific name Is to be retained, or the 
first that was used with the right genus name ; the former 
Is the accepted alternative. The names thus discarded are 
called gynonymg, though in a broader sense all the names 
from which the selection is made are synonyms. On ac- 
count of unsettled usage synonyms must often be quoted. 
In obedience to the law of priority, Kuttall's name Carya, 
by which the hickory has been known since 1818. becomes 
a synonym of Ilicoria, the earlier name of Raflnesque ; 
synonymic 
Kymptata gives way to Caitalia ; A dluinia cirrhota of Kafl- 
ntuiuelf>AiHumiajuny<*aiit Alton; TroUiu* Ameri. 
Milhlenberg 1< 7'. burn* of >alihblli y ; ete. (t) /.oologifct* 
usuallyadoptaditfcrentdateasthestarting-point. In (.in- 
land and on the continent of I mopi- ihi- 1- . 
the date of the twelfth edition of the ">>sit -uui N uinne 
(with an express exception in favor of HM -i m i ;i < not (lie 
species) of llrisson, 1700); American zoologists neatly nil 
start from 1758, the date of the tenth edition of the wotk 
named. This difference of dates is the chief inconi]>uli- 
bility of two schools which have hecunie known as Ihe 
Kn<ili*h and the American, neither of which h;i- thus fai 
yielded the point to the other. 'I he fonmi M hool eon- 
tends that 17mi (the date of Ihe last edition of the "Sys- 
tema," revised by the author himself) represents tie 
pletlon of the Linnean binomial system In zoology, the 
earlier editions having been hut |>io\llonal or tent.-nii. . 
the latter school maintains that 17t>s Is the date when that 
system was first formally and consistently applied to zo- 
ology. In practice the whole matter of synonyms Is ex- 
tremely complicated by various considerations other than 
the single question of priority In any given case as, for ex- 
ample, the adequacy or exclusive pertinence of the diagno- 
sis upon which a name rests; recugnizability of a descrip- 
tion ; acceptation of a name in a wide or a narrow sense by 
different authors ; transference or cross-use of a name by 
different authors; erroneous Identification and consequent 
wrong applications of a name ; reject Ion of a name for one 
of several different reasons and Introduction of another 
name in its stead ; the question whether use of a name in 
botany precludes Its subsequent use in zoology (and con- 
versely); the question whether the same name can be an 
onyra in more than one of the numerically enormous or- 
ders of Insects ; and, particularly, the biological question (a 
matter necessarily of expert opinion) of what constitutes 
a genus, species, subspecies, etc. To all the above consid- 
erations (besides which various others could be adduced) 
Is to be added especially, in accounting for the vast num- 
ber of synonyms which encumber zoological nomenclature, 
the Incessant redescription snd renaming of species and 
genera In ignorance of the fact (or Ignoring the fact) that 
they had been named before, or mistaking them for valid 
when they are not. One singular class of synonyms Is mere- 
ly verbal, arising from corrections of malformed words, 
which, when properly respelled, are seen to be literally 
identical with other names from which they had appeared 
different by the misspelling; and with this clss of syno- 
nyms is related another, arising from a mere difference In 
termination (as of gender, for example, I'icug and Pica), 
Inflection, etc. (as Synodu*, Synodon, Synodontus, Synodon- 
tix). Literal quibbles of this sort have proved so frequent- 
ly vexatious that the American school has declared that 
a word must subsist precisely as originally printed, no 
matter how malformed or misspelled, unless a typograph- 
ical error be manifest, and that any two words which are 
differently spelled are tenable as different names, If the 
distinction be anything more or other than mere change of 
termination (as -x, -a, -urn, or -uV*aml -Hit, as distinguish- 
ing grammatical gender). Irrespective of the law of pri- 
ority, and also of any such moot points as are above cited, 
the rules of nomenclature require (1) that no specific or 
subspecific name shall he used twice in the same genus : 
and (2) that no generic name, or name of any higher group, 
shall be used twice In the animal kingdom. '1 here Is thus, 
theoretically, but a single onym (tenable binomial desig- 
nation) of every species, and a single onym of every genus 
or higher group all other designations being in every case 
synonyms. Practically, however, the case Is far from any 
such simplicity and uniformity; alternative technical 
names Incessantly recur in the literature of zoology ; and 
the synonymy of numberless species, genera, etc.. Is In al- 
most Inextricable confusion. The number of synonyms 
In zoology vastly exceeds that of the onyms ; most species 
which have long been known have acquired a larger num- 
ber of New Latin synonyms than of English names ; very 
many have been placed In a dozen or more different genera, 
and have been described under as many different specific 
names the various combinations of which generic and 
specific designations are a third source of uncounted syn- 
onyms. Such uncertainty and Inconvenience have resulted 
from all these nomenclatural vagaries that some zoolo- 
gists do not hesitate to ignore the fundamental law of pri- 
ority, and continue to call a species by the technical name 
by which it has been oftenest called already. Such con- 
sensus of the nomenclature has at least the advantage of 
presenting better-known instead of leas-known names. 
synonyma (si-non'i-ma), n. pi. [L., pi. of gyno- 
H >/ HI n HI. a synonym: see synonym.] Synonyms. 
//i/r. As I am the state-scout, you may think me an In- 
former. 
Matt. They are tynoninna. 
Maainger, Emperor of the East, L 2. 
[In the following quotation the word Is erroneously treated 
as a singular, with an English plural tynonymat. 
All the tynonymtu of sadness were little enough to ex- 
press this great weeping. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1836X I- 74.1 
synonymalt (si-non'i-mal), a. [< synonym + 
-a/.] Synonymous. 
synonymallyt (si-non'i-mal-i), adv. Synony- 
mously. 
synonymatic (si-non-i-mat'ik), a. [< synonym 
+ -o(c 2 .] Same as synonymic or synonymical, 
being a purer form of these words, now more 
frequently employed by naturalists. The word 
differs In use from tynnnynuna; we speak of a ti/nony- 
matic list of words (as the several synonyms of a plant or 
an animal), but say of the synonyms themselves that they 
are tynonymou*. 
synonyme, . See xi/iimiym. 
synonymic (sin-o-nim'ik). a. [= F. synony- 
m ii/ i/e; &R synonym + -ic.] 1. Synonymous. 
2. Of or pertaining to synonyms. 
The name used by Doubleday In his fynonymic lists of 
British LepMoptera. 
Staintun, British Butterflies, II. 447. (Encyc. Diet.) 
