sequester :: isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude sere :: parched; dry serendipity :: gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck serenity :: calmness, placidity serpentine :: winding; twisting serrated :: having a sawtoothed edge servile :: slavish; cringing servitude :: slavery; compulsory labor sever :: cut; separate severity :: harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity sextant :: navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude shackle :: chain; fetter sham :: pretend shambles :: wreck; mess; scene of great slaughter, bloodshed, or carnage shard :: fragment, generally of pottery shaving :: very thin piece, usually of wood sheaf :: bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together sheathe :: place into a case sherbet :: flavored dessert ice shimmer :: glimmer intermittently shirk :: avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger shoddy :: sham; not genuine; inferior shrew :: scolding woman shun :: keep away from shunt :: turn aside; divert; sidetrack shyster :: lawyer using questionable methods; pettifogger sibling :: brother or sister sibylline :: prophetic; oracular sidereal :: relating to the stars silt :: sediment deposited by running water simian :: monkeylike simile :: comparison of one thing with another, using the word 'like' or 'as' simper :: smirk; smile affectedly simplistic :: oversimplified simulate :: feign sinecure :: well-paid position with little responsibility sinewy :: tough; strong and firm singular :: unique; extraordinary; odd sinister :: evil sinuous :: winding; bending in and out;* not morally honest * skeptic :: doubter; person who suspends judgment until having examined the evidence supporting a point of view skiff :: small, light sailboat or rowboat skimp :: provide scantily; live very economically skinflint :: stingy person; miser skirmish :: minor fight skittish :: lively; frisky skulduggery :: dishonest behavior skulk :: move furtively and secretly slacken :: slow up; loosen slag :: residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter slake :: quench; sate slander :: defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements slapdash :: haphazard; careless; sloppy sleazy :: flimsy; unsubstantial sleeper :: something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable sleight :: dexterity slew :: large quantity or number

slight :: insult to one's dignity; snub slipshod :: untidy or slovenly; shabby slither :: slip or slide sloth :: slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal slothful :: lazy slough :: cast off slovenly :: untidy; careless in work habits sluggard :: lazy person sluggish :: slow; lazy; lethargic sluice :: artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water slur (n) :: insult to one's character or reputation; slander slur (v) :: speak indistinctly; mumble smattering :: slight knowledge smelt :: melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition smirk :: conceited smile smolder :: burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment snicker :: half-stifled laugh snivel :: run at the nose; snuffle; whine sobriety :: moderation (esp. regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness sodden :: soaked; dull, as if from drink sojourn :: temporary stay solace :: comfort in trouble solder :: repair or make whole by using a metal alloy solecism :: construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically solicit :: request earnestly; seek solicitous :: worried, concerned soliloquy :: talking to oneself solitude :: state of being alone; seclusion solstice :: point at which the sun is farthest from the equator soluble :: able to be dissolved; able to be worked out solvent (adj.) :: able to pay all debts solvent (n) :: substance that dissolves another somatic :: pertaining to the body; physical