- A genus of large edentulous sirenians, allied to the dugong
and manatee, including but one species (R. Stelleri); -- called also
Steller's sea cow.
S () the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a consonant, and
is often called a sibilant, in allusion to its hissing sound. It has
two principal sounds; one a mere hissing, as in sack, this; the other a
vocal hissing (the same as that of z), as in is, wise. Besides these it
sometimes has the sounds of sh and zh, as in sure, measure. It
generally has its hissing sound at the beginning of words, but in the
middle and at the end of words its sound is determined by usage. In a
few words it is silent, as in isle, debris. With the letter h it forms
the digraph sh. See Guide to pronunciation, // 255-261.
Definition
[ n.]