Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPLEN'ISH, a.

Affected with spleen; peevish; fretful. Drayton.

SPLE-NI'TIS, n.

Inflammation of the spleen.

SPLEN'I-TIVE, a.

Hot; fiery; passionate; irritable. [Not in use.] I am not splenitive and rash. – Shak.

SPLENT, n.

1. A callous substance or insensible swelling on the shank-bone of a horse. – Far. Dict.
2. A splint. [See Splint.]

SPLENT'COAL, n.

An inferior kind of cannel coal from Scotch collieries.

SPLICE, or SPLISE, n.

The union of ropes by interweaving the strands. – Mar. Dict.

SPLICE, or SPLISE, v.t. [Sw. splissa; D. splissen; G. spleissen; Dan. splidser; from splider, splitter, to split, to divide. It should be written Splise.]

To separate the strands of the two ends of a rope, and unite them by a particular manner of interweaving them; or to unite the end of a rope to any part of another by a like interweaving of the strands. There are different modes of splicing, as the short splice, long splice, eye splice, &c. – Mar. Dict. Splise the main brace, among seamen, a phrase that signifies an extra allowance of spirits in cases of cold or wet.

SPLIC-ED, or SPLIS-ED, pp.

United, as a rope, by a particular manner of interweaving the two ends.

SPLIC-ING, or SPLIS-ING, ppr.

Separating the strands of two ends of a rope, and uniting them by interweaving.

SPLINT, or SPLINT'ER, n. [D. splinter; G. splint or splitter; Dan. splindt. Qu. is n radical?]

1. A piece of wood split off; a thin piece (in proportion to its thickness,) of wood or other solid substance, rent from main body; as, splinters of a ship's side or mast, rent off by a shot.
2. In surgery, a thin piece of wood or other substance, used to hold or confine a broken bone when set.
3. A piece of bone rent off in a fracture.

SPLINT, or SPLINT'ER, v.t.

1. To split or rend into long thin pieces; to shiver; as, the lightning splinters a tree.
2. To confine with splinters, as a broken limb.

SPLIN'TER, v.i.

To be split or rent into long pieces.

SPLINT'ER-ED, pp.

Split into splinters; secured by splints.

SPLINT'ER-ING, ppr.

Splitting into splinters; securing by splints.

SPLINT'ER-Y, a.

Consisting of splinters, or resembling splinters; as, the splintery fracture of a mineral, which, discovers scales arising from splits or fissures, parallel to the line of fracture. – Kirwan. Fourcroy.

SPLISE-THE-MAIN-BRACE, v. [Splise the main brace.]

Among seamen, a phrase that signifies an extra allowance of spirits in cases of cold or wet.

SPLIT, v.i.

1. To burst; to part asunder; to suffer disruption; as, vessels split by the freezing of water in them. Glass vessels often split when heated too suddenly.
2. To burst with laughter. Each had a gravity would make you split. – Pope.
3. To be broken; to be dashed to pieces. We were driven upon a rock, and the ship immediately split. – Swift. To split on a rock, to fail; to err fatally; to have the hopes and designs frustrated. – Spectator.

SPLIT, v.t. [pret. and pp. split. D. splitten; Dan. splitter; G. splittern or spleissen; Eth. ፈለጠ falt, to separate, to divide, the same verb which in other Shemitic languages, Heb. Ch. and Syr. פלט, signifies to escape. See Spalt.]

1. To divide longitudinally or lengthwise; to separate a thing from end to end by force; to rive; to cleave; as, to split a piece of timber; to split a board. It differs from crack. To crack is to open or partially separate; to split is to separate entirely.
2. To rend; to tear asunder by violence; to burst; as, to split a rock or a sail. Cold winter splits the rocks in twain. – Dryden.
3. To divide; to part; as, to split a hair. The phrases, to split the heart, to split a ray of light, are now inelegant and obsolete, especially the former. The phrase, to split the earth, is not strictly correct.
4. To dash and break on a rock; as, a ship stranded and split. – Mar. Dict.
5. To divide; to break into discord; as, a people split into parties.
6. To strain and pain with laughter; as, to split the sides.

SPLIT'TER, n.

Ono who splits. – Swift.

SPLIT'TING, ppr.

Bursting; riving; rending.

SPLUT'TER, n.

A bustle; a stir. [A low word and little used.]

SPLUT'TER, v.i.

To speak hastily and confusedly. [Low.] – Carlton.

SPOD'U-MENE, n. [Gr. σποδοω, to reduce to ashes.]

A mineral, called by Haüy triphane. It occurs in laminated masses, easily divisible into prisms with rhomboidal bases; the lateral faces smooth, shining and pearly; the cross fracture uneven and splintery. Before the blowpipe it exfoliates into little yellowish or grayish scales; whence its name. – Cleaveland.

SPOIL, n. [L. spolium.]

1. That which is taken from others by violence; particularly in war, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty.
2. That which is gained by strength or effort. Each science and each art his spoil. – Bentley.
3. That which is taken from another without license. Gentle gales / Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense / Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole / Their balmy spoils. – Milton.
4. The act or practice of plundering; robbery; waste. The man that hath not music in himself, / Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds, / Is fit for treason, stratagems and spoils. – Shak.
5. Corruption; cause of corruption. Villainous company hath been the spoil of me. – Shak.
6. The slough or cast skin of a serpent or other animal. – Bacon.

SPOIL, v.i.

To practice plunder or robbery. Outlaws, which, lurking in woods, used to break forth to rob and spoil. – Spenser. To decay; to lose the valuable qualities; to be corrupted; as, fruit will soon spoil in warm weather. Grain will spoil if gathered when wet or moist.