Siredon to Sited
Siredon
(Si*re"don) n. [NL., from Gr. a siren.] (Zoöl.) The larval form of any salamander while it still
has external gills; especially, one of those which, like the axolotl sometimes lay eggs while in this larval
state, but which under more favorable conditions lose their gills and become normal salamanders. See
also Axolotl.
Siren
(Si"ren) n. [L., fr. Gr. : cf. F. sirène.]
1. (Class. Myth.) One of three sea nymphs, — or, according to some writers, of two, — said to frequent
an island near the coast of Italy, and to sing with such sweetness that they lured mariners to destruction.
Next where the sirens dwell you plow the seas;
Their song is death, and makes destruction please.
Pope. 2. An enticing, dangerous woman. Shak.
3. Something which is insidious or deceptive.
Consumption is a siren.
W. Irving. 4. A mermaid. [Obs.] Shak.
5. (Zoöl.) Any long, slender amphibian of the genus Siren or family Sirenidæ, destitute of hind legs and
pelvis, and having permanent external gills as well as lungs. They inhabit the swamps, lagoons, and
ditches of the Southern United States. The more common species (Siren lacertina) is dull lead-gray in
color, and becames two feet long.
6. [F. sirène, properly, a siren in sense 1.] (Acoustics) An instrument for producing musical tones and
for ascertaining the number of sound waves or vibrations per second which produce a note of a given
pitch. The sounds are produced by a perforated rotating disk or disks. A form with two disks operated
by steam or highly compressed air is used sounding an alarm to vessels in fog. [Written also sirene,
and syren.]
Siren
(Si"ren), a. Of or pertaining to a siren; bewitching, like a siren; fascinating; alluring; as, a siren song.
Sirene
(Si*rene") n. See Siren, 6.
Sirenia
(Si*re"ni*a) n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) An order of large aquatic herbivorous mammals, including the
manatee, dugong, rytina, and several fossil genera.
The hind limbs are either rudimentary or wanting, and the front ones are changed to paddles. They
have horny plates on the front part of the jaws, and usually flat-crowned molar teeth. The stomach is
complex and the intestine long, as in other herbivorous mammals. See Cetacea (b).
Sirenian
(Si*re"ni*an) n. (Zoöl.) Any species of Sirenia.
Sirenical
(Si*ren"ic*al) a. Like, or appropriate to, a siren; fascinating; deceptive.
Here's couple of sirenical rascals shall enchant ye.
Marton. Sirenize
(Si"ren*ize) v. i. To use the enticements of a siren; to act as a siren; to fascinate.
Siriasis
(||Si*ri"a*sis) n. [L., fr. Gr. fr. the Dog Star, properly, scorching.] (Med.) (a) A sunstroke. (b)
The act of exposing to a sun bath. [Obs.] Cf. Insolation.
Sirius
(Sir"i*us) n. [L., fr. Gr. properly, scorching.] (Astron.) The Dog Star. See Dog Star.
