Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SE'LAH, n.

In the Psalms, supposed to signify silence or a pause in the musical performance of the song. Gesenius.

SEL'COUTH, a. [Sax. sel, seld, rare, and couth, known.]

Rarely known; unusual; uncommon. [Obs.] – Spenser.

SEL'DOM, a.

Rare; unfrequent. [Little used.] – Milton.

SEL'DOM, adv. [Sax. selden, seldon; D. zelden; G. selten; Dan. selsom, seldsom; Sw. sällan, sällsom. In Danish, selskab, (sel and shape,) is a company, fellowship, probably signifies separate, distinct, coinciding with L. solus.]

Rarely; not often; not frequently. Wisdom and youth era seldom joined in one. – Hooker.

SEL'DOM-NESS, n.

Rareness; infrequency; uncommonness. – Hooker.

SELD'-SHOWN, a. [Sax. seld and shown.]

Rarely shown or exhibited. [Not in use.] – Shak.

SE-LECT', a.

Nicely chosen; taken from among a number by preference; choice: whence, preferable; more valuable or excellent than others; as, a body of select troops; a select company or society; a library consisting of select authors;

SE-LECT', v.t. [L. selectus, from seligo; se, from, and lego, to pick, cull or gather.]

To choose and take from a number; to take by preference from among others; to pick out; to cull; as, to select the best authors for perusal; to select the most interesting and virtuous men for associates.

SE-LECT'ED, pp.

Chosen and taken by preference from a number; picked; culled.

SE-LECT'ED-LY, adv.

With care in selection. – Haywood.

SE-LECT'ING, ppr.

Choosing and taking from a number; picking out; culling.

SE-LEC'TION, n. [L. selectio.]

1. The act of choosing and taking from among a number; a taking from another by preference.
2. A number of things selected or taken from others by preference. I have a small but valuable selection of books.

SE-LECT'IVE, a.

Selecting; tending to select. [Unusual.] – Fleming.

SE-LECT'MAN, n. [select and man.]

In New England, a town officer chosen annually to manage the concerns of the town, provide for the poor, &c. Their number is usually from three to seven in each town, and these constitute a kind of executive authority.

SE-LECT'NESS, n.

The state of being select or well chosen.

SE-LECT'OR, n. [L.]

One that selects or chooses from among a number.

SEL'EN-ATE, n.

A compound of selenic acid with a base.

SE-LEN'IC, a.

Pertaining to selenium; as, selenic acid, which is composed of one equivalent of selenium and three of oxygen.

SEL'EN-ITE, n. [Gr. σεληνιτης, from σεληνη, the moon; so called on account of its reflecting the moon's light with brilliancy.]

1. Foliated or crystalized sulphate of lime. Selenite is a subspecies of sulphate of lime, of two varieties, massive and acicular. – Cleaveland. Kirwan. Nicholson.
2. A compound of selenous acid with a base.

SEL-EN-IT'IC, or SEL-EN-IT'IC-AL, a.

Pertaining to selenite; resembling it, or partaking of its nature and properties.

SE-LE'NI-UM, n. [supra.]

An elementary acidifying and basifying substance, extracted from the pyrite of Fahlun in Sweden. It is a solid of a gray dark brown color, with a brilliant metallic luster, and slightly translucent.

SE-LEN-IU-RET, or SE-LEN-U'RET, n.

A newly discovered mineral, of a shining lead gray color, with a granular texture. It is composed chiefly of selenium, silver and copper. – Cleaveland. Phillips.

SEL-EN-O-GRAPH'IC, or SEL-EN-O-GRAPH'IC-AL, a. [infra.]

Belonging to selenography.

SEL-EN-OG'RA-PHY, n. [Gr. σεληνη, the moon, and γραφω, to describe.]

A description of the moon and its phenomena; a branch of cosmography. – Encyc.

SEL'EN-OUS-AC'ID, n. [SEL'EN-OUS AC'ID.]

An acid composed of one equivalent of selenium and two of oxygen.