Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SED'EN-TA-RI-NESS, n.

The state of being sedentary.

SED'EN-TA-RY, a. [Fr. sedentaire; It. and Sp. sedentario; L. sedentarius, from sedens, sedeo, to sit.]

1. Accustomed to sit much, or to pass most of the time in a sitting posture; as, a sedentary man. Students, tailors, and women are sedentary persons.
2. Requiring much sitting; as, a sedentary occupation or employment.
3. Passed for the most part in sitting; as, a sedentary life. Arbuthnot.
4. Inactive; motionless; sluggish; as, the sedentary earth. Milton. The soul, considered abstractly from its passions, is of a remiss, sedentary nature. Spectator.

SED'EN-TA-RY, n.

A tribe of spiders which rest motionless, until their prey is entangled in their web, is called Sedentaries.

SEDGE, n. [Sax. secg; perhaps from the root of L. seco, to cut; that is, sword grass, like L. gladiolus.]

1. A narrow flag, or growth of such flags; called in the North of England, seg or sag. Johnson. Barret.
2. In New England, a species of very coarse grass growing is swamps, and forming bogs or clumps.

SEDG'ED, a.

Composed of flags or sedge. – Shak.

SEDG'Y, a.

Overgrown with sedge. On the gentle Severn's sedgy bank. – Shak.

SED'I-MENT, n. [Fr. from L. sedimentum, from sedeo, to settle.]

The matter which subsides to the bottom of liquors; settings; lees; dregs. – Bacon.

SED-I-MENT'A-RY, a.

Pertaining to sediment; formed by sediment; consisting of matter that has subsided. Buckland. Sedimentary Rocks, are those which have been formed by materials deposited from a state of suspension in water.

SE-DI'TION, n. [Fr. from L. seditio. The sense of this word is the contrary of that which is naturally deducible from sedo, or sedeo, denoting a rising or raging, rather that an appeasing. But to set is really to throw down, to drive, and sedition may be a setting or rushing together.]

A factious commotion of the people, or a tumultuous assembly of men rising in opposition to law or the administration of justice, and in disturbance of the public peace. Sedition is a rising or commotion of less extent than an insurrection and both are less than rebellion; but some kinds of sedition in Great Britain, amount to high treason. In general, sedition is a local or limited insurrection in opposition to civil authority, as mutiny is to military. – Ezra iv. Luke xxii. Acts xxiv. Encyc.

SE-DI'TION-A-RY, n.

An inciter or promoter of sedition. – Bp. Hall.

SE-DI'TIOUS, a. [Fr. seditieux; L. seditiosus.]

1. Pertaining to sedition; partaking of the nature of sedition; as, seditious behavior; seditious strife.
2. Tending to excite sedition; as, seditious words.
3. Disposed to excite violent or irregular opposition to law or lawful authority; turbulent; factious, or guilty of sedition as, seditious citizens.

SE-DI'TIOUS-LY, adv.

With tumultuous opposition to law; in a manner to violate the public peace.

SE-DI'TIOUS-NESS, n.

The disposition to excite popular commotion in opposition to law; or the act of exciting such commotion.

SE-DUCE, v.t. [L. seduco; se, from, and duco, to lead; Fr. seduire; It. seddure; Sp. seducir.]

1. To draw aside or entice from the path of rectitude and duty in any manner, by flattery, promises, bribes, or otherwise; to tempt and lead to iniquity; to corrupt; to deprave. Me the gold of France did not seduce. – Shak. In the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed do seducing spirits. 1 Tim. iv.
2. To entice to a surrender of chastity. He that can seduce a female, is base enough to betray her.

SE-DUC-ED, pp.

Drawn or enticed from virtue; corrupted; depraved.

SE-DUCE-MENT, n.

1. The act of seducing; seduction.
2. The means employed to seduce; the arts of flattery, falsehood, and deception. – Pope.

SE-DUC-ER, n.

1. One that seduces; one that by temptation or arts, entices another to depart from the path of rectitude and duty; pre-eminently, one that by flattery, promises, or falsehood, persuades a female to surrender her chastity. The seducer of a female is little less criminal than the murderer.
2. That which leads astray; that which entices to evil. He whose firm faith no reason could remove, / Will melt before that soft seducer, love. – Dryden.

SE-DU'CI-BLE, a.

Capable of being drawn aside from the path of rectitude; corruptible. – Brown.

SE-DUC-ING, ppr.

Enticing from the path of virtue or chastity.

SE-DUC-ING-LY, adv.

In a seducing manner.

SE-DUC'TION, n. [Fr. from L. seductio.]

1. The act of seducing, or of enticing from the path of duty; in a general sense. Hammond.
2. Appropriately, the act or crime of persuading a female, by flattery or deception, to surrender her chastity. A woman who is above flattery, is least liable to seduction; but the best safeguard is principle, the love of purity and holiness, the fear of God and reverence for his commands.

SE-DUC'TIVE, a.

Tending to lead astray; apt to mislead by flattering appearances. Stephens.

SE-DUC'TIVE-LY, adv.

In a seductive manner.

SE-DU'LI-TY, n. [L. sedulitas; It. sedulità. See Sedulous.]

Diligent and assiduous application to business; constant attention; unremitting industry in any pursuit. It denotes constancy and perseverance, rather than intenseness of application. Let there be but the same propensity and bent of will to religion, and there will be the same sedulity and indefatigable industry in men's inquiries into it. – South.

SED'U-LOUS, a. [L. sedulus, from the root of sedeo, to sit; as, assiduous, from assideo.]

Literally, sitting close to an employment; hence, assiduous; diligent in application or pursuit; constant, steady, and persevering in business, or in endeavors to effect an object; steadily industrious; as, the sedulous bee. Prior. What signifies the sound of words in prayer, without the affection of the heart, and a sedulous application of the proper means that may lead to such an end. – L'Estrange.