Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

Page 1454

Suspend

Sus*pend" (?), v. i. To cease from operation or activity; esp., to stop payment, or be unable to meet obligations or engagements (said of a commercial firm or a bank).

Suspender

Sus*pend"er (?), n. One who, or that which, suspends; esp., one of a pair of straps or braces worn over the shoulders, for holding up the trousers.

Suspensation

Sus`pen*sa"tion (?), n. [Cf. LL. suspensatio suspension from a charge or benefice.] The act of suspending, or the state of being suspended, especially for a short time; temporary suspension.

Suspense

Sus*pense" (?), a. [F. suspens, L. suspensus, p.p. of suspendere. See Suspend.]

1. Held or lifted up; held or prevented from proceeding. [Obs.]

[The great light of day] suspense in heaven. Milton.

2. Expressing, or proceeding from, suspense or doubt. [Obs.] Expectation held his look suspense." Milton.

Suspense

Sus*pense", n. [From F. suspens, a. See Suspense, a.]

1. The state of being suspended; specifically, a state of uncertainty and expectation, with anxiety or apprehension; indetermination; indecision; as, the suspense of a person waiting for the verdict of a jury.

Ten days the prophet in suspense remained. Denham.

Upon the ticklish balance of suspense. Cowper.

2. Cessation for a time; stop; pause.

A cool suspense from pleasure and from pain. Pope.

3. [Cf. F. suspense.] (Law) A temporary cessation of one's right; suspension, as when the rent or other profits of land cease by unity of possession of land and rent. Suspense account (Bookkeeping), an account in which receipts or disbursements are temporarily entered until their proper position in the books is determined.

Suspensely

Sus*pense"ly, adv. In suspense. [Obs.] Hales.

Suspensibility

Sus*pen`si*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being suspensible.

Suspensible

Sus*pen"si*ble (?), a. Capable of being suspended; capable of being held from sinking.

Suspension

Sus*pen"sion (?), n. [Cf. F. suspension, L. suspensio arched work, imperfect pronunciation. See Suspend.]

1. The act of suspending, or the state of being suspended; pendency; as, suspension from a hook.

2. Especially, temporary delay, interruption, or cessation; as: (a) Of labor, study, pain, etc. (b) Of decision, determination, judgment, etc.; as, to ask a suspension of judgment or opinion in view of evidence to be produced. (c) Of the payment of what is due; as, the suspension of a mercantile firm or of a bank. (d) Of punishment, or sentence of punishment. (e) Of a person in respect of the exercise of his office, powers, prerogative, etc.; as, the suspension of a student or of a clergyman. (f) Of the action or execution of law, etc.; as, the suspension of the habeas corpus act. <-- # each of the above lettered definitions is elliptical; needs special handling for analysis. -->

3. A conditional withholding, interruption, or delay; as, the suspension of a payment on the performance of a condition.

4. The state of a solid when its particles are mixed with, but undissolved in, a fluid, and are capable of separation by straining; also, any substance in this state.

5. (Rhet.) A keeping of the hearer in doubt and in attentive expectation of what is to follow, or of what is to be the inference or conclusion from the arguments or observations employed.

6. (Scots Law) A stay or postponement of execution of a sentence condemnatory by means of letters of suspension granted on application to the lord ordinary.

7. (Mus.) The prolongation of one or more tones of a chord into the chord which follows, thus producing a momentary discord, suspending the concord which the ear expects. Cf. Retardation. Pleas in suspension (Law), pleas which temporarily abate or suspend a suit. -- Points of suspension (Mech.), the points, as in the axis or beam of a balance, at which the weights act, or from which they are suspended. -- Suspension bridge, a bridge supported by chains, ropes, or wires, which usually pass over high piers or columns at each end, and are secured in the ground beyond. -- Suspension of arms (Mil.), a short truce or cessation of operations agreed on by the commanders of contending armies, as for burying the dead, making proposal for surrender or for peace, etc. -- Suspension scale, a scale in which the platform hangs suspended from the weighing apparatus instead of resting upon it. Syn. -- Delay; interruption; intermission; stop.

Suspensive

Sus*pen"sive (?), a. [Cf. F. suspensif. See Suspend.] Tending to suspend, or to keep in suspense; causing interruption or delay; uncertain; doubtful. In suspensive thoughts." Beaumont. A suspensive veto." Macaulay.

The provisional and suspensive attitude. J. Morley.

Suspensive condition (Scots Law), a condition precedent, or a condition without the performance of which the contract can not be completed.

Suspensor

Sus*pen"sor (?), n. [NL.]

1. A suspensory.

2. (Bot.) The cord which suspends the embryo; and which is attached to the radicle in the young state; the proembryo.

Suspensorium

Sus`pen*so"ri*um (?), n.; pl. Suspensoria (#). [NL.] (Anat.) Anything which suspends or holds up a part: especially, the mandibular suspensorium (a series of bones, or of cartilages representing them) which connects the base of the lower jaw with the skull in most vertebrates below mammals.

Suspensory

Sus*pen"so*ry (?), a.

1. Suspended; hanging; depending.

2. Fitted or serving to suspend; suspending; as, a suspensory muscle. Ray.

3. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a suspensorium.

Suspensory

Sus*pen"so*ry, n. [Cf. F. suspensoir, suspensoire.] That which suspends, or holds up, as a truss; specifically (Med.), a bandage or bag for supporting the scrotum.

Suspicable

Sus"pi*ca*ble (?), a. [L. suspacabilis, fr. suspicari to suspect, akin to suspicere. See Suspect, v. t.] Liable to suspicion; suspicious. [Obs.]

It is a very suspicable business. Dr. H. more.

Suspiciency

Sus*pi"cien*cy (?), n. [From L. suspiciens, p.pr. of suspicere. See Suspect, v. t.] Suspiciousness; suspicion. [Obs.] Hopkins.

Suspicion

Sus*pi"cion (?), n. [OE. suspecioun, OF. souspeçon, F. soupçon, L. suspectio a looking up to, an esteeming highly, suspicion, fr. suspicere to look up, to esteem, to mistrust. The modern form suspicion in English and French is in imitation of L. suspicio mistrust, suspicion. See Suspect, and cf. Suspicious.]

1. The act of suspecting; the imagination or apprehension of the existence of something (esp. something wrong or hurtful) without proof, or upon very slight evidence, or upon no evidence.

Suspicions among thoughts are like bats among birds, they ever fly by twilight. Bacon.

2. Slight degree; suggestion; hint. [Colloq.]

The features are mild but expressive, with just a suspicion . . . of saturnine or sarcastic humor. A. W. Ward.

Syn. -- Jealousy; distrust; mistrust; diffidence; doubt.

Suspicion

Sus*pi"cion, v. t. To view with suspicion; to suspect; to doubt. [Obs. or Low] South.

Suspicious

Sus*pi"cious (?), a. [OE. suspecious; cf. L. suspiciosus. See Suspicion.]

1. Inclined to suspect; given or prone to suspicion; apt to imagine without proof.

Nature itself, after it has done an injury, will ever be suspicious; and no man can love the person he suspects. South.

Many mischievous insects are daily at work to make men of merit suspicious of each other. Pope.

2. Indicating suspicion, mistrust, or fear.

We have a suspicious, fearful, constrained countenance. Swift.

3. Liable to suspicion; adapted to raise suspicion; giving reason to imagine ill; questionable; as, an author of suspicious innovations; suspicious circumstances.

I spy a black, suspicious, threatening could. Shak.

Syn. -- Jealous; distrustful; mistrustful; doubtful; questionable. See Jealous. -- Sus*pi"cious*ly, adv. -- Sus*pi"cious*ness, n.

Suspiral

Sus*pir"al (?), n. [From Suspire.]

1. A breathing hole; a vent or ventiduct.

2. A spring of water passing under ground toward a cistern or conduit.

Suspiration

Sus`pi*ra"tion (?), n. [L. suspiratio. See Suspire.] The act of sighing, or fetching a long and deep breath; a deep respiration; a sigh.

Windy suspiration of forced breath. Shak.

Suspire

Sus*pire" (?), v. i. [L. suspirare to breathe out, to sigh; sub under + spirare to breathe: cf. F. souspirer, OF. souspirer.] To fetch a long, deep breath; to sigh; to breathe. Shak.

Fireflies that suspire In short, soft lapses of transported flame. Mrs. Browning.

Suspire

Sus*pire", n. [Cf. L. suspirium.] A long, deep breath; a sigh. [Obs.]

Suspired

Sus*pired" (?), a. Ardently desired or longed for; earnestly coveted. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.

Sustain

Sus*tain" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sustained (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sustaining.] [OE. sustenen, susteinen, OF. sustenir, sostenir, F. soutenir (the French prefix is properly fr. L. subtus below, fr. sub under), L. sustinere; pref. sus- (see Sub-) + tenere to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Sustenance.]

1. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.

Every pillar the temple to sustain. Chaucer.

2. Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.

No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain him under the evils in this world. Tillotson.

3. To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army.

4. To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate. Shak.

His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain. Dryden.

5. To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment.

6. To suffer; to bear; to undergo.

Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain? Dryden.

You shall sustain more new disgraces. Shak.

7. To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit.

8. To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition. Syn. -- To support; uphold; subsist; assist; relieve; suffer; undergo.

Sustain

Sus*tain" (?), n. One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer. [Obs.]

I waked again, for my sustain was the Lord. Milton.

Sustainable

Sus*tain"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. soutenable, OF. soustenable.] Capable of being sustained or maintained; as, the action is not sustainable.

Sustained

Sus*tained" (?), a. Held up to a certain pitch, degree, or level; uniform; as, sustained pasion; a sustained style of writing; a sustained note in music.

Sustainer

Sus*tain"er (?), n. One who, or that which, sustains. Waterland.

Sustainment

Sus*tain"ment (?), n. The act of sustaining; maintenance; support. Milton. Lowell.

Sustaltic

Sus*tal"tic (?), a. [Gr. contractile, fr. to draw together, to moderate; together + to place.] Mournful; -- said of a species of music among the ancient Greeks. Busby.

Sustenance

Sus"te*nance (?), n. [OF. sustenance, sostenance, soustenance: cf. L. sustenentia endurance. See Sustain.]

1. The act of sustaining; support; maintenance; subsistence; as, the sustenance of the body; the sustenance of life.

2. That which supports life; food; victuals; provisions; means of living; as, the city has ample sustenance. A man of little sustenance." Chaucer.

For lying is thy sustenance, thy food. Milton.

Sustentacle

Sus*ten"ta*cle (?), n. [L. sustentaculum. See Sustentation.] Sustenance. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Sustentacular

Sus`ten*tac"u*lar (?), a. [See Sustenance.] (Anat.) Supporting; sustaining; as, a sustentacular tissue.

Sustentate

Sus"ten*tate (?), v. t. To sustain. [R.] C. Reade.

Sustentation

Sus`ten*ta"tion (?), n. [L. sustentatio sustenance, maintenance, fr. sustentare to support, maintain, v. intens. fr. sustinere to sustain: cf. F. sustentation. See Sustain.]

1. The act of sustaining, or the state of being sustained; preservation from falling; support; sustenance; maintenance.

2. (Physiol.) The aggregate of the functions by which a living organism is maintained in a normal condition of weight and growth. Sustentation fund (Eccl.), a fund of a religious body for support of its ministers, chapels, etc.; as, the sustentation fund of the Free Church of Scotland.

Sustentative

Sus"ten*ta*tive (?), a. Adapted to sustain, strengthen, or corroborate; as, sustentative citations or quotations. Sustentative functions (Physiol.), those functions of the body which affect its material composition and thus determine its mass.

Sustention

Sus*ten"tion (?), n. Sustentation. [R. or Colloq.]

In fine images, in sustention, in irony, they surpass anything that Burke ever wrote. J. Morley.

Suster, Sustre

Sus"ter, Sus"tre (?), n.; pl. Susters (), Sustres, ∨ Sustren (). Sister. [Obs.] Chaucer.
There are seven sustren, that serve truth ever. Piers Plowman.

Susu
Su"su (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Soosoo.
Susurrant
Su*sur"rant (?), a. [L. susurrans, p.pr. from susurrare to whisper.] Whispering. [R.] The soft susurrant sigh." Poetry of Anti-Jacobin.
Susurration
Su`sur*ra"tion (?), n. [L. susurratio, fr. susurrare to whisper: cf. F. susurration.] A whispering; a soft murmur. Soft susurrations of the trees." Howell.
Susurringly
Su*sur"ring*ly (?), adv. In the manner of a whisper. [Obs.]
Susurrous
Su*sur"rous (?), a. [L. susurrus.] Whispering; rustling; full of whispering sounds. [R.]
Susurrus
Su*sur"rus (?), n. [L.] The act of whispering; a whisper; a murmur. De Quincey.
The soft susurrus and sighs of the branches. Longfellow.

Sutile
Su"tile (?), a. [L. sutilis, fr. suere to sew: cf. F. sutile.] Done by stitching. [R.] Boswell.
Sutler
Sut"ler (?), n. [D. zoetelaar, OD. soetelaar, a small trader, especially in camps, fr. soetelen to undertake low offices; cf. G. sudeln to do dirty work, to sully, soil, E. suds.] A person who follows an army, and sells to the troops provisions, liquors, and the like.
Sutlership
Sut"ler*ship, n. The condition or occupation of a sutler.
Sutling
Sut"ling (?), a. Belonging to sutlers; engaged in the occupation of a sutler. Addison.
Sutor
Su"tor (?), n. A kind of sirup made by the Indians of Arizona from the fruit of some cactaceous plant (probably the Cereus giganteus).
Sutra
Su"tra (?), n.; pl. Sutras (#). [Skr. stra a thread, a string of rules; an aphorism; fr. siv to sew.]
1. (a) A precept; an aphorism; a brief rule. (b) A collection of such aphorisms.
2. pl. A body of Hindoo literature containing aphorisms on grammar, meter, law, and philosophy, and forming a connecting link between the Vedic and later Sanscrit literature. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
Suttee
Sut*tee" (?), n. [Skr. satī a faithful wife, fem. of sant existing, real, true, good, p.pr. of as to be. Cf. Sooth.]
1. A Hindoo widow who immolates herself, or is immolated, on the funeral pile of her husband; -- so called because this act of self-immolation is regarded as envincing excellence of wifely character. [India]
2. The act of burning a widow on the funeral pile of her husband. [India] &hand; The practice, though abolished in British India law in 1829, is not wholly prevented.
Sutteeism
Sut*tee"ism (?), n. The practice of self-immolation of widows in Hindostan.