Surcingle, sur′sing-gl, n. a girth or strap for holding a saddle on an animal's back: the girdle of a cassock.—v.t. to surround with such. [L. super, above, cingulum, a belt.]
Surcoat, sur′kōt, n. an overcoat, generally applied to the long flowing drapery of knights anterior to the introduction of plate-armour: a short robe worn by ladies over the tunic at the close of the 11th century. [O. Fr. surcote, surcot—sur, over, cote, a garment.]
Surculus, sur′kū-lus, n. a shoot from a root-stock, a sucker.—adjs. Surculig′erous, bearing such; Sur′culose, producing such. [L.]
Surd, surd, adj. (alg.) involving surds: produced by the action of the speech organs on the breath (not the voice), as the 'hard' sounds k, t, p, f, &c.: deaf: (obs.) unheard, senseless.—n. (alg.) a quantity inexpressible by rational numbers, or which has no root.—ns. Surdimū′tism, the condition of being deaf and dumb; Surd′ity, want of sonant quality. [L. surdus, deaf.]
Sure, shōōr, adj. secure: fit to be depended on; certain: strong: confident beyond doubt.—advs. Sure, Surely, firmly, safely: certainly, assuredly.—adj. Sure′footed, walking firmly or securely: not liable to stumble.—adv. Surefoot′edly.—ns. Surefoot′edness; Sure′ness.—Sure enough, certainly.—Be sure, be certain, see to it; Have a sure thing (slang), to have a certainty; Make sure, to make certain; To be sure, without doubt. [O. Fr, seür (Fr. sûr)—L. securus—se-, apart from, cura, care.]
Surety, shōōr′ti, n. certainty: he who, or that which, makes sure: security against loss: one who becomes bound for another, a sponsor.—ns. Sure′tyship, Sure′tiship, state of being surety: obligation of one person to answer for another. [Doublet security.]
Surf, surf, n. the foam made by the dashing of waves.—ns. Surf′-bird, a plover-like bird found on the Pacific coasts of North and South America, akin to sandpipers and turnstones, and sometimes called Boreal sandpiper and Plover-billed turnstone; Surf′-duck, the scoter (q.v.); Surf′man, one skilful in handling boats in surf.—adj. Surf′y. [Skeat explains the r as intrusive, and suggests that suffe is the same as 'sough of the sea,' M. E. swough, swoughen, swowen—A.S. swógan, to make a rushing sound.]
Surface, sur′fās, n. the exterior part of anything.—adj. Sur′faced, having a surface.—ns. Sur′faceman, a miner employed in open-air working: a workman employed in keeping a railway-bed in repair; Sur′face-print′ing, printing from a relief surface, as cotton-cloth; Sur′facer, one who, or that which, smooths or levels a surface; Sur′face-ten′sion, in liquids, that property in virtue of which a liquid surface behaves as if it were a stretched elastic membrane—say a sheet of india-rubber; Sur′face-wa′ter, drainage-water; Sur′facing, the act of giving a certain surface to anything. [Fr., from sur—L. super, and face—L. facies.]
Surfeit, sur′fit, v.t. to fill to satiety and disgust.—n. excess in eating and drinking: sickness or satiety caused by overfullness.—ns. Sur′feiter (Shak.), one who surfeits, a glutton; Sur′feiting, eating overmuch: gluttony. [O. Fr. surfait, excess, sorfaire, to augment—L. super, above, facĕre, to make.]