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English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

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“S” Words

A figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole, the whole stands for a part, or a specific example stands for a general category, or vice versa.

synecdochically

In a way that uses synecdoche.

Working together to produce a greater combined effect than acting separately.

The extra benefit gained when people, groups, or things combine and work together, greater than what each could achieve alone.

The joining of two sex cells to create a zygote.

A formal council or meeting of church leaders held to decide on religious matters.

Relating to synonyms, or being a synonym itself.

Having the same or a very similar meaning as another word or phrase.

A short summary that covers the main points of a book, film, or other written work.

Relating to a brief summary of something.

In a way that offers a general overview.

A writer of one of the gospels of Matthew, Mark or Luke.

Relating to or concerned with syntax, the arrangement of words in a sentence.

The set of rules governing how words are arranged to form correct phrases and sentences in a language.

A place where mountain ranges or rock folds meet and converge.

Short for synthesizer, an electronic instrument for creating and shaping sounds.

The forming of something new and complete by combining separate parts or ideas.

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of synthesize.

A person who combines separate things into a whole.

To combine two or more elements to create something new.

Produced by combining separate elements, or created artificially rather than occurring naturally.

An electronic musical instrument, usually played with a keyboard, that generates and shapes sound electronically.

Made by chemical or industrial synthesis rather than occurring naturally, though it may closely match a natural equivalent.

A drive towards greater order, structure and organisation in a system.

A sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria, which can cause serious long-term health problems if untreated.

A historic city and port in Sicily, Italy, and former capital of the province of the same name.

A country in West Asia, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, with its capital at Damascus.

Relating to Syria, its people, or its culture.

The mock orange shrub, Philadelphus coronarius, noted for its sweet scent.

A device with a needle, a chamber, and a plunger, used to inject or draw off fluids.

A set of pipes of different lengths bound together and played by blowing across the top, also known as panpipes.

A type of raised, flat area of land found in Russia and Central Asia.

Another word for quicksand.

A thick, sugary liquid poured over food or used as a sweetener.

Tasting like, or having the thick texture of, syrup.

A set of related parts that work together as a whole.

Carried out according to a fixed, organized plan or method.

In an organized, methodical way; following a consistent plan.

The branch of study concerned with classifying things and naming them systematically.

Following a set method, especially one that has already been agreed.

To put something into an organised, logical order.

Affecting or built into an entire system, organization, or body rather than just one part of it.

systemic racism

Racial disadvantage that is produced by the ordinary rules, practices and habits of institutions such as courts, banks, schools and employers, so that unequal outcomes persist even where no individual intends to discriminate.

In terms of, or relating to, a system.

Relating to systole, the phase when the heart contracts and pumps blood.

An alignment of three celestial bodies in a straight line, such as occurs during an eclipse.

A Hungarian surname, historically an occupational name for a tailor.

A Chinese surname, a romanization related to the name Xie.