shortage.noun,.plural.shortages
a deficiency in amount; an insufficiency
short, shorter, shortest.adjectives
having little length; not long; having little height; not tall; extending not far or not far enough (a short toss of the ball); lasting a brief time (a short holiday; finished the job in a few short months); not lengthy; succinct (short and to the point); rudely brief; abrupt; easily provoked; irascible; inadequate; insufficient (short on experience; a short memory); a brief film (we saw an interesting short on YouTube); a short subject
short.adverb
abruptly; quickly (came to stop short); limited of goal (the horseshoe landed short of the target)
short, shortness.nouns
something short (a short piece of lumber; short trousers extending to the knee or above); a shorted circuit; a malfunction caused by a shorted circuit, which is a low-resistance connection accidentally established between two points in an electric circuit
short, shorted, shorting, shorts.verbs
transitive verb use.to cause a short-circuit in; to give one less than one is entitled to (short-changed me at the market); to sell a stock that one does not own in anticipation of making a profit when its price falls; to sell unowned stock in the stock market in anticipation of making a profit when prices fall (make a short sale)
intransitive verb use.to short-circuit or to have caused a shorted circuit; having an inadequate supply of (short of rice for dinner tonight); other than; without resorting to (short of yelling at him, I had no other way to catch his attention)

caught short.phrasal verb
at a disadvantage (we were caught short by the sudden storm); without owning what one is selling (selling a commodity short)

in short.phrasal verb
in summary; briefly (in short the meeting was about doing things more efficiently)

short for.phrasal verb
an abbreviation of (Ed is short for Edward)

short of.phrasal verb
having an inadequate.supply of (we're short of coffee for the office coffee machine); less.than (nothing short of her best effort produced this beautiful picture); other than; without resorting to (short of yelling at him, I had no other way to catch his attention)

the short end of the stick.idiom
the worst side of an unequal.deal

shortsighted.adjective
nearsighted (being shortsighted he could not see too far off); myopic; lacking.foresight in life (shortsighted existence is living without wisdom, which is living in a manner that brings lack)
shortsightedly.adverb
shortsightedness.noun

socage.noun
in law, the feudal.tenure of land by a tenant, in return for agricultural or other nonmilitary services or for payment of rent in money
socager.noun

session.noun,.plural.sessions
a meeting of a legislative or judicial body for the purpose of transacting business (sessional papers 18); a corporation meeting to discuss matters of business, such as profits); an assembly of people for a common purpose or because of a common interest (a gossip session); a period of time devoted to a specific.activity
sessional.adjective
sessionally.adverb

secession.noun,.plural.secessions
the act of seceding; the withdrawal of 11 Southern states from the Union in 1860-1861, precipitating the U.S. Civil War
secessional.adjective

secede, secedes, seceded, seceding.intransitive verbs
to withdraw from membership in a corporation, an organization, association or alliance

set, sets, setting.verbs
transitive verb use.to put in a specified position; place (set a book on a table); to put into a stable position (set the fence post into a bed of concrete); to restore to a proper and normal state when dislocated or broken (set a broken arm; set it working again); compose (set the music to the theme of the movie); to establish as a model (parent must set a good example for children); to put in a mounting; mount (set an emerald in a pendant); to apply jewels to; stud (a tiara that was set with diamonds); to cause to sit
intransitive verb use.to disappear below the horizon (the sun set at seven that evening); to diminish or decline; wane; to become fixed; harden (don't touch it till the glue sets); to become permanent, used of dye (she dyed her sweater black); to become whole; knit, used of a broken bone
set.adjective
fixed or established by agreement (a set time for the launching); established by convention (followed set procedures laid down many years ago); unwilling or very reluctant to change (set in his ways); intent and determined (dead set against any one person having too much power); ready (we are set to leave early tomorrow morning)
set.noun,.plural.sets
a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used (a set of circumstances; a chess set; a set of books); a group of books or periodicals.published as a unit; the act or process of setting; the condition.resulting from setting (sitting in this comfortable chair I'm set for the movie); the manner in which something is positioned (the set of her cap); a permanent.firming or hardening of a substance, as by cooling; the deflection of the teeth of a saw; the act of arranging hair by waving and curling it; scenery constructed for a theatrical performance or for making a movie (a movie set); a session of music, typically dance music

set about.phrasal verb
to begin or start (set about cleaning up the basement)
set apart.phrasal verb
to reserve for a specific.use; to make noticeable (character.traits that set her apart)
set aside.phrasal verb
to separate and reserve for a special.purpose; to discard or reject; to declare.invalid; annul or overrule (the court has set aside the conviction; time was set aside for a memorial to commemorate the good someone had done in their life)
set at.phrasal verb
to attack or assail (the dogs set at the fox)
setback.noun,.plural.setbacks
an unanticipated or sudden.check in progress; a change from better to worse; a steplike recession in a wall; any of a series of such recessions in the rise of a tall building; an automatically timed setting of a thermostat to a lower temperature, as in the home at night
set back.phrasal verb
to slow down the progress of; hinder; to cost (that coat set me back $200.)
set away.or.set by.phrasal verb
to reserve for future use (she set away money each month for her retirement; it is wise to set food and money by in case of a future emergency)
set down.phrasal verb
to cause to sit; seat (set the baby down here); to put in writing; record (we set down the captions for the pictures); to regard; consider (just set him down as a rabble-rouser); to assign to a cause; attribute (let's set the error down to inexperience); to land an aircraft (the pilot set the plane down softly)
set forth.phrasal verb
to present for consideration; propose (set forth some ideas)
set forward.phrasal verb
to begin a journey
set in stone.adjective
not then changeable (the inexorable.multiversal laws of the one true and only Creator of all that's good, are set in stone)
set out.phrasal verb
if you set things out, you arrange or display them somewhere (set out the cakes attractively, using lacy doilies); if you set out a number of facts, beliefs or arguments, you explain them in writing or speech in a clear, organized way (she has written a letter to the local newspaper setting out her views)
set up.phrasal verb
if you set something up, you create or arrange it (tell us when and why you started your business and how you went about setting it up)
set upon.phrasal verb
if you are set upon by people, they make a sudden and unexpected physical attack on you; to attack usually with violence; to assail or attack

stock.noun,.plural.stocks
the broth in which meat, fish, bones or vegetables are simmered for a relatively long period, used as a base in preparing soup, gravy or sauces

stock.noun,.plural.stocks
a supply.accumulated for future use; a store (we always keep a stock of bags of rice on hand); the total merchandise kept on hand by a merchant, commercial establishment, warehouse or manufacturer; all the animals kept or raised on a farm; livestock; the trunk or main stem of a tree or another plant; a plant or stem onto which a graft is made; a plant or tree from which cuttings and slips are taken; a device consisting of a heavy timber frame with holes for confining the ankles and sometimes the wrists, formerly used for punishment; a frame in which a horse or other animal is held for shoeing or for veterinary treatment; the rear wooden, metal or plastic handle or support of a rifle, a pistol or an automatic weapon, to which the barrel and mechanism are attached; the weight and type of paper (we are out of shiny stock in that color)
stock, stocks, stocked, stocking.verbs
transitive verb use.to provide or furnish with a stock of something (to supply a shop with merchandise); to supply a farm with livestock; to fill a stream,for example, with fish
intransitive verb use.to gather and lay in a supply of something (stock up on non perishable items including canned goods)
stock.adjective
kept regularly in stock (a stock item); routine (a stock answer); of or relating to the raising of livestock
in stock.idiom
available for sale or use; on hand
out of stock.idiom
not available for sale or use
stockage.noun
stocker.noun

stock.noun,.plural.stocks
the original progenitor of a family line; the descendants of a common ancestor; a family line (comes from healthy farming stock); ancestry or lineage; antecedents

stock.noun,.plural.stocks
the capital or fund (money collected for investing by the corporation) that a corporation raises through the sale of what is called shares (pieces of paper listing contributions to the fund you have made in hopes of receiving any dividends if paid), entitling the stockholder (the one who received a piece of paper for handing over his money to the corporation for them to invest for him o her) to dividends and to other rights of ownership, such as voting rights, the dividends being only paid if the investment company you put your money with earns anything beyond its expenses and, if the market is weak or goes down somewhat, the investment company then not being able to sell your stocks to someone else, you get nothing, you sit and wait in hope the market may regain strength in order that the investment corporation becomes willing and able to find a buyer for your pieces of paper, but the buyer may instead simply opt to not buy your paper and put his or her money instead into some other investment the corporation may offer; stocks are the number of shares that each stockholder possesses; watch for 'short selling' which is to make a short sale, called 'short selling', a market manipulation.tactic for advantage of the seller only, called greed (selling stock such as securities or commodityfutures, not owned by the seller but controlled by him through so-called financial instruments, which are pieces of paper called options, where such sales of them in the stock market are done by those controlling the option papers in anticipation of making a profit when prices fall or rise, depending on which option was sold and to whom)

steer, steered, steering, steers.verbs
transitive verb use.to guide by means of a device such as a rudder, paddle or wheel; to direct the course of; guide
intransitive verb use.to guide a vessel or vehicle; to follow or move in a set course; a being steered or guided (a craft that steers easily)
steer.noun
a piece of advice (can you give me some steer on the project?)
steerable.adjective
steerer.noun

steer.noun,.plural.steers
a young ox, especially one castrated before sexual maturity and raised for beef

stepmother.noun,.plural.stepmothers
a main woman of one's father and not one's natural mother

sottish.adjective
stupefied from or as if from drink; tending to drink excessively; drunken
sottishly.adverb
sottishness.noun

spout, spouted, spouting, spouts.verbs
intransitive verb use.to gush forth in a rapid stream or in spurts; to speak volubly and tediously (politicians et al spout lies to get themselves into public favor, then do little if anything of what they said they would do); to discharge a liquid or other substance.continuously or in spurts
transitive verb use.to cause to flow or spurt out; to utter volubly and tediously
spout.noun
a tube, mouth or pipe through which liquid is released or discharged (the spout of the tea pot); a continuous stream of liquid; the burst of spray from the blowhole of a whale
spouter.noun,.plural.spouters

spurt.noun,.plural.spurts
a sudden.forcible.gush or jet; a sudden short burst, as of energy or activity
spurt, spurted, spurting, spurts.verbs
intransitive verb use.to gush forth suddenly in a jet; to make a brief.intense.effort
transitive verb use.to force out in a sudden jet

shrine.noun,.plural.shrines
a shrine is a place of worship which is associated with God, used often as an aid in meditation to help keep the mind away from wandering off of one's attention on the Invisible Intelligent Energy called God; a container or receptacle for sacred.relics; a reliquary; the tomb of a venerated person, such as a saint; a place at which devotion is paid to a venerated person; to enshrine
shrine, shrined, shrining, shrines.transitive verbs
to enshrine

soffit.noun,.plural.soffits
the underside of a structural.component, such as a beam, an arch, a staircase or a cornice; soffits and fascia are parts that complete roofs