syconi

Plural of syconus. syconia, n. Plural of syconium. Syconidæ (si-kon'i-dē), n. pl. [NL., the female flowers. sycophancy (sik'ō-fan-si), n.; pl. sycophancies (-siz). [L. sycophant i a, sucophantia, It was hard to hold that seat [that of the publican] without oppre ion, without exaction. One that best knew it branded it with polling and sycophancy . Bp . Hall , Contemplations, Matthew Called. The sycophancy of A. Philips had prejudiced Mr. Add is on against Pope. War burton, Note on Pope's Fourth Pastoral. ( Latham .) The affronts which his poverty emboldened stupid and low-minded men to offer him [Johnson] would have broken a mean spirit into sycophancy , but made him rude even to ferocity. Macaulay , Johnson. sycophant (sik'ō-fant), n. and a. [Formerly also sicophant ; sycophante = Sp. sic of ante = It. sic of anta , sycophant a , sucophanta, ML. also sicophanta , sicophantus , sicophans , συκοφάντης , an informer, a slanderer, a trickster, appar. σύκον , a fig, + φαίνειν , show, declare. The name would thus mean lit. 'fig-shower,' of which the historical origin is unknown. (a) According to ancient writers, it originally applied to 'one who informed on another for the exporting of figs from Attica' (which is said to have been forbidden); or (b) to 'one who informed on another for plundering sacred fig trees'; (c) a third explanation nation makes it orig. 'one who brings figs (hidden in the foliage) to light by shaking ng the tree,' hence 'one makes rich men yield tribute by means of false accusations.' All these explanations are doubtle inventions. (d) The real explanation appears to lie in some obscene use of σύκον , fig, this word, and the L. ficus , fig, with its Rom. forms, being found in various expre ions of an obscene or abusive nature. This origin, whatever its particular nature, would explain the fact, otherwise scarcely explicable, that the original application of the term is without record.] I. n. 11. A tale-bearer or informer in general. The poor man that hath naught to lose is not afraid of the sycophant or promoter. Holland, tr. of Plutarch's Morals, p. 261. (Trench.) This ordinance is in the first table of Solon's lawes, and therefore we may not altogether discredit those which say they did forbid in the old time that men should carry figs out of the countrey of Attica, and that from thence it came that these pick-thanks, which bewray and accuse them that transported figs, were called sycophants . North , tr. of Plutarch, p. 77. The laws of Draco... punished it [theft] with death;. Solon afterwards changed the penalty to a pecuniary mulct. And so the Attic laws in general continued, except that once, in a time of dearth, it was made capital to break into a garden and steal figs; but this law, and the informers against the offence, grew so odious that from them all malicious informers were styled sycophants : a name which we have much perverted from its original meaning. Black stone, Com., IV. xvii. 2. A parasite; a mean flatterer; especially, a flatterer of princes and great men. Such not esteem desert, but sensual vaunts Of parasites and fawning sycophants. Ford, Fame's Memorial. IMG:content-2667.png:[blocks in formation] The Protector, Oliver, now affecting kingship, is petition'd to take the title on him by all his new-made syco phant lords, etc. Evelyn, Diary, March 25, 1657. sycophant (sik'ō-fant), v. [ He makes it his busine to tamper with his reader by sycophant ing and misnaming the work of his enemy. Milton , Apology for Smectymnuus. 2. To play the sycophant toward; flatter meanly and officiously. Imp . Dict. II. in trans. To play the sycophant. [Rare.] His sycophant ing arts being detected, that game is not to be played a second time. Government of the Tongue . The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: The Century dictionary IMG:content-2669.png:[blocks in formation] sycophantic (sik-ō-fan'tik), a . [ τικός , like a sycophant, slanderous, συκοφάντης , enitic granite, granite which contains hornblende.- a sycophant: see sycophant .] Of or pertaining to a sycophant; characteristic of a sycophant; sykel, obsequiously flattering; parasitic; courting fa- vor by mean adulation. ing some of its properties. Also sienitic. Sy- Syenitic porphyry, fine-grained syenite containing large crystals of feldspar. See sike1 . It neither grew in syke nor ditch, Nor yet in ony sheugh. Sycotypus (si-kot'i-pus), n. [NL., Pyrula . Sycum (sīkum), n. [NL.] Same as Sycon, 1. Sydenham's chorea. The ordinary mild form syl-. A form of syn- , used before components beginning with 1 . sylelt, v. An obsolete spelling of silel . syle2 (sil), n. A variant of sill2. But our folk call them syle , and nought but syle, And when they're grown, why then we call them herring. Jean Ingelow , Brothers and a Sermon. sylert, syllert, n. Same as celure , 2. syllaba anceps (sil'a-bä an's eps). [L.: syl- lab a , syllable; anceps , doubtful: see syllable and ancipitous.] In anc . pros ., a doubtful syllable (συλλαβὴ ἀδιάφορος ). The final syllable or time of a line or period may be either long or short, without regard to the metrical scheme. Syllaba anceps is accordingly one of the signs of the termination (ἀπόθεσις) of a period. syllabarium (sil-a-bā'ri-um), n.; pl. syllabaria (-ä). [NL.: see syllabary .] Same as syllabary . syllabary (sil'a-ba-ri), n.; pl. syllabaries (-riz). [=F. syllabaire , syllabarium , syllaba , συλλαβή , & syllable: see syllable .] A cat a logue of the syllables of a language; a list or set of syllables, or of characters having a syl- labic value. It [the Ethiopic alphabet] was converted into a sulla bary , written from right to left, additional letters being formed by differentiation, and the letters of the Greek al- phabet were employed as numerals. syllabet, syllabt (sil'ab), n. [F. syllabe , syllaba : see syllable .] A syllable. Now followes the syllab , quhilk is a ful sound symbol- ized with convenient letteres, and consistes of ane or moe. A. Hume , Orthographie (E. E. T. S.), p. 16. The office of a true critic or censor is not to throw by a letter anywhere, or damn an innocent syllabe . B. Jonson, Discoveries. syllabi, n. Latin plural of syllabus . syllabic (si-lab'ik), a . [= F. syllabi que = Sp. silábico Pg. syllabico = It. sillabico , syllabic us , συλλαβικός , of or pertaining to a syllable, συλλαβή , syllable: see syllable .] 1. Of or pertaining to or consisting of a syl- lable or syllables: as, a syllabic accent; a syl- labic augment.-2. Representing syllables in- stead of single sounds: said of an alphabetical If it [Cypriote syllabary] had not been superseded, it would doubtle have gradually lost its syllabic charac- ter, and have become the definitive alphabet of Greece, and therefore of civilized Europe and of the western world. Isaac Taylor , The Alphabet, II. 117. The same sign, once attached to a word, could be used in writing for the phonetic value of this word, with a complete lo of the primitive sense. often indicates to the reader this radical change in the use of the sign. In this case the sign is said to be em- ployed as a syllabic . Encyc . Brit ., XI. 800. syllabification (si-lab"i-fi-kā'shon), n. labify + -ation .] Same as syllabication . syllabify (si-lab'i-fi), v . t . ; pret. and pp. syllabi- fied , ppr. syllabifying . [L. syllaba , syllable (see syllable ), + facere , make, do: see- fy .] Το syllabicate. syllabism (sil'a-bizm), n. [ , sylla- ble, + -ism .] Theory of or concerning sylla- bles; also, syllabic character; representation of syllables. Can language frame and syllabize the tone. Howell , Verses prefixed to Parly of Beasts. ( Davies .) In syllabizing , a totally artificial proce , doubling is nece ary, and very frequently the recoil is used, but it never is in speech. Encyc. Brit., XXII. 384. Same as syllabic . syllabically (si-lab'i-kal-i), adv . In a syllabic manner; by syllables. In Amharic, for instance, which is printed syllabically , there are 33 consonantal sounds. syllabicate (si-lab'i-kat), v . t .; pret. and pp. syllabicated , ppr. syllabicating . [ syllabic + -ate2 . Cf. Gr. συλλαβίζειν , join letters to form syllables.] To form or divide into syllables. syllabication (si-lab-i-kā'shon), n . [ syllabi- cate + -ion .] The formation of syllables; espe- cially, the division of a word into its constituent syllabic parts in writing and printing. The divi- sion of a word of more than one syllable into separate syllables is in great measure an artificial proce , since a consonant intervening between two vowels is usually (see under syllable ) to be reckoned as belonging to either one of them not le properly than to the other. This is espe- cially true of the continuable consonants, the semivowels syllable In this word [dayly] the first sillable for his vsuall and sharpe accentes sake to be alwayes long, the second for his flat accents sake to be alwayes short. Putten ham , Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 87. 2. In music, one of the arbitrary combinations of consonants and vowels used in solmization. -3. The least expre ion of language or thought; a particle. Seth, Enoch, Noah, Sem, Abraham, Job, and the rest that lived before any syllable of the law of God was written, did they not sin as much as we do in every action not commanded? Hooker, Eccles. Polity, ii. 4. I mark you to a syllable ; you say The fault was his, not yours. Ford , Love's Sacrifice, v. 1. Are tin i an, Belgian, fixed, homophonous syllables. See the adjectives. - Guidon i an syllables. Same as Are tin i an syllables . syllable (sil'a-bl), v.; pret. and pp. syllabled, ppr. syllabling. (Formerly also sillable; Als the Frensh staffes silabled be More breueloker and shorter also Then is the English lines vnto see, That comper hended in on [one] may lines to [two]. Rom . of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 6581. 2. To pronounce syllable by syllable; articulate; utter. Aery tongues that syllable men's names On sands, and shores, and desart wilderne es. Milton , Comus, 1. 208. II. in trans. To speak. IMG:content-2670.png:[blocks in formation] syllabled (sil'a-bld), a. [ Sirach (as we will call the book) consists of seven- sylla The Academy, Feb. 15, 1890, p. 119. bled verses.