Macmillan Dictionary for Students

From the publishers of the best-selling Macmillan Dictionary for Children, here is the Macmillan Dictionary for Students. Authoritative and easy to use, it is the most comprehensive dictionary geared specifically to the needs of junior-high and high-school students. It contains 90,000 entries, 120,000 definitions, and more than 1,900 illustrations to make meanings absolutely clear. The Macmillan Dictionary for Students also offers such helpful features as 34,000 illustrative sentences, 19,000 notes on word origins, and 2,000 synonym studies.

From Chapter Dictionary of the English Language

sea front / search warrant

sea front, land bordering on the sea.

sea·girt (sE'gurt') adj. surrounded by the sea.

sea·go·ing (sE'gO'ing) adj. 1. designed, suitable, or used for sea travel. 2. seafaring.

sea green, medium bluish-green.

sea gull, gull¹.

sea horse 1. any of various slender fish, genus Hippocampus, found in warm and temperate seas having a horselike head and neck and a prehensile tail. Length: 2-8 inches. 2. walrus. 3. mythical sea creature, half fish and half horse.

Sea Islands, island chain in the southeastern United States, along the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida.

seal¹ (sEl) pl., seals or seal. n. 1. any of several marine mammals, families Otariidae and Phocidae, having a streamlined body, a muscular neck, and limbs that are modified to form flippers. Some seals, fur seals, are hunted for their valuable pelt. Length: to 22 feet. 2. pelt or fur of such an animal, esp. sealskin. 3. leather made from the hide of such an animal. -- v.i. to hunt seals. [Old English seolh the marine mammal.]

sea1² (sEl) n. 1. impression in relief of a device, as a design, figure, or word, stamped on wax, paper, or other soft material to show ownership or authenticity and intended to represent officially a person, institution, or governing body. 2. representation of such an impression, or a disk or wafer of wax, paper, or other material bearing such an impression, affixed to a document to prove authenticity or to seal it shut. 3. stamp, die, ring, or other object engraved with a device, used to impart such impressions. 4. something that fastens firmly, closes completely, or makes airtight or watertight: to lick the seal on an envelope, to break the seal on a jar. 5. decorative gummed stamp or sticker. 6. something that serves to authenticate, confirm, or secure; pledge; assurance. 7. Archaic. mark or sign indicating ownership or serving as visible evidence of something. -- v.t. 1. to fasten or shut firmly or make airtight or watertight: to seal an envelope, to seal a tomb. My lips are sealed. 2. to fill or obstruct; stop up (often with up): to seal the cracks in a wall. An avalanche of rocks sealed up the cave. 3. to shut in or confine; enclose tightly: They sealed the documents in a strongbox. 4. to prevent or restrict access to (often with off): Police sealed off the area and questioned everyone closely. 5. to confirm, conclude, or assure as if by affixing a seal: to seal a bargain with a handshake. 6. to put beyond question, doubt, or reversal; decide finally or irrevocably: The arrival of reinforcements sealed our victory. 7. to place a seal on, as to prove authenticity, signify authorization, or prevent tampering. 8. to mark or stamp with a seal in order to certify or attest to the size, weight, accuracy, or quality of: to seal a scale. [Old French seel engraved signet for stamping documents in order to authenticate them, going back to Latin sigillum little mark, small figure, diminutive of signum sign, mark¹.]

sea lavender, any of a group of plants, genus Limonium, found in seaside regions of the Northern Hemisphere, bearing small, usually blue or purple flowers.

sea legs Informal ability to walk steadily aboard ship, esp. on rough seas.

seal·er¹ (sE'ler) n. 1. one who or that which fastens, closes, or makes airtight or watertight. 2. substance applied to a porous or unfinished surface in preparation for painting or varnishing. 3. official who inspects and tests weights, measures, or materials and certifies that they have met certain standards. [SEAL² + -ER¹.]

seal·er² (sE'ler) n. person or ship engaged in seal hunting. [SEAL¹ + -ER¹.]

seal·er·y (sE'ler E) pl., -er·ies. n. 1. occupation of hunting for seals; seal hunting. 2. place where seals are hunted.

sea level, mean level of the surface of the sea, esp. halfway between mean high and low water, used as a standard above and below which land elevations and sea depths are measured.

sea lily, crinoid.

sealing wax, mixture usually consisting of shellac and turpentine, which is fluid when heated but quickly solidifies as it cools, used for sealing letters, packages, jars, and other items.

sea lion, any of various large seals found chiefly in the Pacific Ocean, esp. the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus.

seal ring, signet ring.

seal·skin (sE'skin') n. pelt or fur of a fur seal.

Sea·ly·ham terrier (sE'lE ham', -lE em) small, short-legged terrier having a long head, round-tipped ears, and a rough, wiry coat of white hair. Height: 10 inches at the shoulder.

seam (sEm) n. 1. line formed by sewing together the edges of two or more pieces of cloth, leather, or similar material. 2. similar line, groove, or ridge formed by adjoining edges, as of planks or layers of bricks. 3. any mark resembling a seam, as a scar or crack. 4. stratum or thin layer, as of coal or rock. -- v.t. 1. to join together by or as by sewing. 2. to mark (a surface) with a seam or seams; furrow: Years of living in the open air had seamed the old sailor's face. -- v.i. to become furrowed; crack open. [Old English sEam line formed by sewing or joining two edges.]

sea·man (sE'men) pl., -men. n. 1. sailor; mariner. 2. person having or excelling in seamanship. 3. in the U. S. Navy and Coast Guard, an enlisted man of any of the three lowest grades.

sea·man·ship (sE'men ship') n. skill in and knowledge of all that relates to working, managing, or maneuvering a boat or ship.

sea·mark (sE'märk') n. any landmark visible from the sea, as a lighthouse or beacon, that serves as a navigational aid.

sea mew, mew².

seam·stress (sEm'stris) n. woman who is skilled at sewing, esp. one whose occupation is sewing. Also, semp'stress.

seam·y (sE'mE) seam·i·er, seam·i·est. adj. 1. dismal, squalid, or degraded; sordid: the seamy side of life. 2. having or showing seams. -- seam'i·ness, n.

sé·ance (sA'äns) n. meeting in which a group of people attempt to communicate with the spirits of the dead through the help of a medium. [French séance session, from Old French seoir to sit, from Latin sedére.]

sea otter, dark-brown otter, Enhydra lutris, found along the western coast of North America and around offshore islands of the Pacific, having broad, flipperlike hind feet. It is the largest of all otters and the only one that lives in salt water. Length: 50-64 inches, including the tail.

sea·plane (sE'plAn') n. airplane, esp. one equipped with floats, that is designed to take off from and land on water. Also, hy'dro·plane'.

sea·port (sE'pôrt') n. 1. port or harbor for seagoing vessels. 2. city or town having such a port or harbor....