Sew, sō, v.t. to join or fasten together with a needle and thread.—v.i. to practise sewing.—ns. Sew′er; Sew′ing; Sew′ing-cott′on, cotton thread for sewing; Sew′ing-machine′, a machine for sewing and stitching upon cloth, leather, &c., operated by any power.—Sew up one's stocking, to put one to silence.—Be sewed, or sewed up, to be stranded, of a ship: (coll.) to be brought to a stand-still, to be ruined: to be tipsy. [A.S. síwian, séowian; Old High Ger. siwan, Goth. siujan.]
Sew, sū, v.t. (Spens.) to follow, to solicit. [Sue.]
Sewel, sū′el, n. a scarecrow.—Also Shew′el. [Prob. related to shy.]
Sewer, sū′ėr, n. an officer who set down and removed the dishes at a feast. [O. Fr. asseour—asseoir, to set down—L. ad, to, sedēre, to sit. Skeat makes it from M. E. sewen, to set meat, sew, pottage—A.S. seaw, juice.]
Sewer, sū′ėr, n. an underground passage for draining off water and filth.—ns. Sew′age, refuse carried off by sewers; Sew′erage, the whole sewers of a city: drainage by sewers; Sew′er-gas, the contaminated air of sewers.—Open sewer, a sewer of which the channel is exposed to the air. [O. Fr. seuwiere, a canal—L. ex, out, aqua, water.]
Sex, seks, n. the distinction between male and female: the characteristics by which an animal or plant is male or female, gender: the female sex, women generally, usually with the definite article.—adj. Sex′less, having no sex.—n. Sex′lessness.—adj. Sex′ūal, pertaining to sex: distinguished or founded on the sex: relating to the distinct organs of the sexes.—v.t. Sex′ūalise, to distinguish as sexed.—ns. Sex′ūalist, one who classifies plants according to the differences of the sexes; Sexūal′ity, state or quality of being sexual.—adv. Sex′ūally.—Sexual affinity, the instinctive attraction of one sex for another; Sexual organs, the organs of generation; Sexual selection, that province of natural selection in which sex comes into play. [Fr. sexe—L. sexus—secāre, to cut.]
Sexagenarian, sek-sa-je-nā′ri-an, n. a person sixty years old.—adj. Sexag′enary, designating the number sixty.—n. a sexagenarian: something containing sixty.—ns. Sex′agene, an arc or angle of 60°; Sexages′ima, the second Sunday before Lent (see Septuagesima).—adj. Sexages′imal, pertaining to the number sixty: proceeding by sixties.—adv. Sexages′imally. [L. sexagenarius—sexaginta, sixty.]
Sexangle, sek′sang-gl, n. a figure with six angles, a hexagon.—adjs. Sex′angled, Sexang′ular.—adv. Sexang′ularly.
Sexcentenary, sek-sen′te-nā-ri, n. that which consists of 600: a 600th anniversary.—Also adj.
Sexdigitate, seks-dij′i-tāt, adj. having six fingers or toes.—n. Sexdig′itist.