| A | B |
|---|
| scrutinize | verb; to examine closely or critically |
| secular | adjective; worldly or temporal rather than religious or sacred; not beloinging to a religious order |
| shibboleth | noun; any use of language, habit or custom that distinguishes a class; a password; a distinctive slogan used by members of a group |
| shrew | noun; a mouselike animal that eats insects; a bad-tempered, nagging woman |
| sluice | noun or verb; an artificial channel for conducting water, with a gate regulating the flow; a floodgate; to wash off with a rush of water |
| solstice | noun; either of two times in the year when the sun is farthest north or farthest south of the equator; the first day of summer or winter |
| somnolent | adjective; sleepy; drowsy; tending to bring on sleepiness |
| sortie | noun; a sudden attack by troops from a defensive position; a single mission of a lone airplane against an enemy |
| stereotype | noun; a generalized, oversimplified view or opinion that members of a group rigidly apply to a thing, an idea, or another group |
| stigma | noun; a mark of shame; a stain; in botany, the portion of a flower;s pistil on which pollen is deposited for germination |
