spoliation |
the act or practice of seizing others' goods, such as the plundering of neutral ships by the navy of a warring nation. [2 definitions] |
spondee |
a metrical foot having two long and accented syllables. |
spondylitis |
inflammation of one or more vertebrae. |
sponge |
any of various aquatic animals with a porous body and a tough fibrous or calcareous skeleton formed of irregular clumps or branched masses that are attached to underwater surfaces. [10 definitions] |
sponge bath |
a cleansing of the body with a wet sponge or cloth rather than washing in a tub or shower. |
sponge cake |
a light spongy cake made with eggs, flour, sugar, and other ingredients, but no shortening. |
sponger |
a person or vessel that harvests sponges. [2 definitions] |
sponge rubber |
a light porous spongelike rubber used in rubber balls, gaskets, insulation, and the like; foam rubber. |
spongiform |
resembling a sponge in appearance or texture. |
spongy |
resembling a sponge in lightness, porosity, absorbency, or esp. resiliency. |
sponson |
a structure projecting from the side of a ship or boat, esp. a gun platform, or an air chamber on the gunwale of a canoe that prevents capsizing. [2 definitions] |
sponsor |
a person or group who assumes responsibility for someone or something. [5 definitions] |
spontaneity |
an unforced, unplanned quality of behavior, or a willingness to behave in a way that is not thought out beforehand. [2 definitions] |
spontaneous |
happening freely or done by impulse; not forced. [3 definitions] |
spontaneous combustion |
the ignition of a substance or material, such as oily cloths or wet hay, caused by the rapid increase of heat from chemical reactions in the substance. |
spontaneous generation |
the theory that living organisms can be created entirely from inanimate matter; abiogenesis. |
spoof |
a humorous imitation; good-natured mocking; lampoon. [5 definitions] |
spook |
(informal) a ghost; phantom. [4 definitions] |
spooky |
eerie and mysterious; weirdly disturbing. |
spool |
a cylindrical object, usu. with a rim on each end, on which thread, tape, wire, photographic film, or the like is wound. [3 definitions] |
spoon |
a utensil with a small shallow bowl at the end of a handle, used for eating, stirring, serving, or measuring. [4 definitions] |