Emily Dickinson Lexicon

shutting, verbal n. [see shut, v.]

Closing; bringing together the outward covering parts.

shy, adj. [OE sceoh, fear, abhorrence, avoid, drive away, to terrify.] (webplay: bird, friend, timid).

1. Avoiding freedom of intercourse.
2. Reserved.
3. Fearful.
4. Wary in speech or action.
5. Timid; cautious.
6. Hidden.
7. Uncomfortable.
8. Insignificant.

shy, v. [see shy, adj.]

To avoid; to deny; to bypass; [possibly adverbial] shyly; timidly.

Shylock, proper n. [possibly < Hebrew Shiloh, place in Palestine < asher-lo 'whose right it is'.]

Extortioner; blackmailer; loan shark; moneylender in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice; merciless usurer who charges disproportionate interest.

sic, adv. [L.]

Phrase: “sic transit gloria mundi”: thus passes away the glory of this world; phrase spoken in papal coronations to remind church leaders that earthly fame is ephemeral.

Sicily, proper n. [L. probably 'reapers'.]

Largest island in the Mediterranean; Italian territory located off the southwest tip of the mainland; location of volcanic Mt. Etna; land of the Siculi or Sekeloi island tribe of the first century (see ED letters “Silician”); [fig.] exotic place.

sick (-er), adj. [OE.] (webplay: death, pain).

1. Disgusting; distasteful; unacceptable; unsuitable; unsatisfactory; disappointing; not appropriate.
2. Corruptible; tainted; weak; infected; contaminated; [fig.] demoralizing; discouraging.
3. Miserable; wretched; pitiful; pathetic; distressing; emotionally draining.

sicken (-ed), v. [see sick, adj.]

1. Nauseate; churn up with fear; make faint with horror; cause to feel revulsion.
2. Look ill; turn pale; become wan.

sickness, n. [see sick, adj.] (webplay: death, die, pain).

1. Plague; scourge; blight; bane.
2. Malady; illness; disease.
3. Nostalgia; longing for home; sense of intense longing.
4. Grief; bereavement; sorrow; mourning; heartache; heartbreak; lovelorn feeling.

side, n. [OE 'old, extensive'.]

1. Direction; location opposite; contiguous position.
2. Part; locale; domain; dimension.
3. Proximity; space immediately next to.
4. Angle; surface; plane.
5. Circumference; lateral area.
6. Aspect; facet; factor; characteristic.
7. Margin; edge; verge; border; leeway.
8. Rib cage; part between the back and the belly; [fig.] train car; railway carriage.
9. Slope; incline; declivity; descent; ravine; steep pitch; drop off; canyon wall.
10. End; point; length.
11. Similar situation; parallel circumstance.
12. Vista; point of view.
13. Phrase. “This side”: prior to; just before achieving.
14. Phrase. “Side by side”: next to one another.