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vice must be certain, in order to be denominated socage, as to hold by fealty and twenty shillings rent. [Written also soccage.]

Of or pertaining to the South Downs, a range of pasture hills south of the Thames, in England. Southdown sheep (Zoöl.), a celebrated breed of shortwooled, hornless sheep, highly valued on account of the delicacy of their flesh. So called from the South Downs where the breed originated.

ther; an interval between any two or more objects; as, the space between two stars or two hills; the sound was heard for the space of a mile. Put a space betwixt drove and drove. Gen. xxxii. 16.

To fawn; to cringe; to be obsequious. [R.] Churchill.

Having no breath; extinct; dead. "The spiritless body." Greenhill. -- Spir"it*less*ly, adv. -- Spir"it*less*ness, n.

trivance for fastening the wheel of a vehicle, to prevent it from turning in going down a hill. To put a spoke in one's wheel, to thwart or obstruct one in the execution of some design.

om a spout; as, water spouts from a hole; blood spouts from an artery. All the glittering hill Is bright with spouting rills. Thomson.

A little spring. But yet from out the little hill Oozes the slender springlet still. Sir W. Scott.

her; pruce. [Obs.] Spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for Prussia leather. E. Phillips. Douglas spruce (Bot.), a valuable timber tree (Pseudotsuga Douglasii) of Northwestern America. -- Essence of spruce, a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the young bra…

g the rowel of a spur. In the reigns of Elizabeth and of James I., its value was fifteen shillings. [Written also spur-rial, and spur-ryal.]

al and alloy established by authority. By the present standard of the coinage, sixty-two shillings is coined out of one pound weight of silver. Arbuthnot.

The act of staring; a fixed look with eyes wide open. "A dull and stupid stare." Churchill.

entinel on a rampart; to station ships on the coasts of Africa. He gained the brow of the hill, where the English phalanx was stationed. Lyttelton.

descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric gradient.

Lofty and precipitous. [R.] Her stand she takes upon a steep-up hill. Shak.

o become steep or steeper. As the way steepened . . . I could detect in the hollow of the hill some traces of the old path. H. Miller.

Quality or state of being steep; precipitous declivity; as, the steepnessof a hill or a roof.

, the standard British money of account, or the British coinage; as, a pound sterling; a shilling sterling; a penny sterling; -- now chiefly applied to the lawful money of England; but sterling cost, sterling value, are used. "With sterling money." Shak.

Pertaining to a dunghill; hence, mean; dirty; paltry. [Obs.] Howell.

A steep hill or ascent. [Obs.] W. Browne.