Secularist. From the Latin seculum, an age, a generation; one who advocates the happiness or well-being of the community during the present life, leaving the future completely out of count.
Sedan-chairs. First made at Sedan, France.
See how it pans out. Originally a miners’ phrase in the Far West. To separate the gold grains from the earth in which they are found a pan of water is brought into service; when the pan is shaken the gold collects at the bottom.
Seekers. The original designation of the Quakers, because they sought the truth with the solicitude of Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler (John iii. 1-21).
Seething Lane. A corruption of Sidon Lane, after the name of the first builder on the land.
Selkirk’s Island. Also called the isle of “Juan Fernandez.”
Seltzer Water. A corrupted spelling of “Seltsers,” the name of a village near Limburg in Prussia famous for its mineral springs.
Senate. The Upper House of the United States Congress. The term properly implies an elder, from the Latin senis, an old man.
Senegambia. The territory situated between the Senegal and Gambia Rivers.
Sent to Coventry. As its name implies, Coventry was in olden times a great centre of religious life, touching the number of its conventual establishments. Soldiers sent to the garrison there soon discovered that no woman would speak to them. Hence to be sent to Coventry was a great hardship, since it meant being cut off from “life” in every form, and female intercourse particularly.