SEMEN n.
ich it owes its generative power. Semen contra, or Semen cinæ or cynæ, a strong aromatic, bitter drug, imported from Aleppo and Barbary, said to consist of the leaves, peduncles, and unexpanded flowers of various species of Artemisia; wormseed.
SLAVERY n.
will of another. Disguise thyself as thou wilt, still, slavery, said I, still thou art a bitter draught! Sterne. I wish, from my soul, that the legislature of this state [Virginia] could see the policy of a gradual abolition of slavery. It might prevent much future mischief. Washington.
SNAP n.
That which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap. He's a nimble fellow, And alike skilled in every liberal science, As having certain snaps of all. B. Jonson.
SPRUCE n.
dotsuga Douglasii) of Northwestern America. -- Essence of spruce, a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the young branches of spruce. -- Hemlock spruce (Bot.), a graceful coniferous tree (Tsuga Canadensis) of North America. Its timber is valuable, and the bark is la…
STAFF n.
shrubs of the northern hemisphere. The American species (C. scandens) is commonly called bittersweet. See 2d Bittersweet, 3 (b). -- To set, or To put, up, or down, one's staff, to take up one's residence; to lodge. [Obs.]