📖 S — The English dictionary · page 80

spiralling — Everyday, meaning 1: Spiralling means moving in a spiral, going round and round in a curve that gets wider or narrower, often while going up or down.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spiralling prices or problems are rising quickly and getting out of control.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Spiralling down (or into something) means getting worse and worse.↗ Example: The leaf came spiralling down from the tree.↗ · The eagle was spiralling high above the hills.↗ · Water went spiralling down the drain.↗ · Spiralling food prices make life hard for families.↗ · His worries were spiralling out of control.↗ · The plane was spiralling towards the ground.↗ · The staircase went spiralling up the lighthouse.↗

spire — Everyday, meaning 1: A spire is a tall, pointed, cone-shaped structure on top of a building, usually on a church tower.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spire can be anything tall, thin and pointed, like a rock spire or the tip of a tree.↗ Example: The church spire rose above the village.↗ · Salisbury Cathedral has a very tall spire.↗ · We could see the spire from the motorway.↗ · Oxford is famous for its spires.↗ · Lightning struck the spire during the storm.↗ · Rocky spires stood up from the sea.↗ · A spire is shaped like a tall cone.↗ · All they could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, and high up above everything the spires and dome of the Palace of Oz.↗

spirit — Everyday, meaning 1: The part of a person that is their feelings and character, not their body; some believe it lives on after death.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A ghost or magical being.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Courage, energy and determination: team spirit.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (plural) Your mood: in high spirits.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Strong alcoholic drink such as whisky (spirits).↗ Everyday, meaning 6: The real meaning of a rule: the spirit of the law.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (verb) «Spirit away» means take someone or something away secretly.↗ Example: The team showed great spirit.↗ · Everyone was in high spirits after the win.↗ · The story was about a spirit in an old house.↗ · That's the spirit!↗ Keep going!↗ · We got into the Christmas spirit.↗ · The thief was spirited away in the night.↗ · Spirits like whisky are strong alcohol.↗ · It was not a spirit this time.↗ · And they were a bitterness of spirit unto Isaac and to Rebekah.↗ (Torah GEN.26.35, JPS 1917)↗ · or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer.↗ (Torah DEU.18.11, JPS 1917)↗ · all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died.↗ (Torah GEN.7.22, JPS 1917)↗ · And whose spirit came forth from thee?↗ (Writings JOB.26.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Is the spirit of the LORD straitened?↗ (Prophets MIC.2.7, JPS 1917)↗ · Who hath meted out the spirit of the LORD?↗ (Prophets ISA.40.13, JPS 1917)↗

spirited — Everyday, meaning 1: Spirited means full of energy, courage and liveliness.↗ e.g. "a spirited little pony".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spirited effort or defence is a brave and lively one, even if it does not win.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Spirited away (verb) means taken away quickly and secretly, as if by magic.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: In words like high-spirited, mean-spirited, public-spirited, it tells what kind of mood or heart someone has.↗ Example: The spirited pony galloped across the field.↗ · Our team put up a spirited fight but lost 2–1.↗ · She is a spirited girl who loves adventure.↗ · The class had a spirited debate about homework.↗ · The children were high-spirited after the trip.↗ · It was mean-spirited to laugh at his mistake.↗ · The jewels were spirited away in the night.↗ · The animal was fiery and spirited; they galloped round the lawn.↗

spirits — Everyday, meaning 1: A person's mood or feelings: in high spirits (happy), in low spirits (sad).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ghosts, or beings without bodies in stories and beliefs.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Strong alcoholic drinks like whisky, vodka, gin and rum.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Liquids such as white spirit or methylated spirits used for cleaning or fuel.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Courage and energy.↗ Example: The children were in high spirits on the last day of school.↗ · A hot drink raised our spirits.↗ · The old house was said to be full of spirits.↗ · Spirits are much stronger than beer or wine.↗ · Dad cleaned the brushes with white spirit.↗ · Keep your spirits up — we're nearly there!↗ · "You seem to be in good spirits."↗ · 'Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, (Torah NUM.27.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Turn ye not unto the ghosts, nor unto familiar spirits; seek them not out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.↗ (Torah LEV.19.31, JPS 1917)↗ · And they fell upon their faces, and said: 'O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?'↗ (Torah NUM.16.22, JPS 1917)↗ · All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.↗ (Writings PRO.16.2, JPS 1917)↗ · And when they shall say unto you: 'Seek unto the ghosts and the familiar spirits, that chirp and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living unto the dead (Prophets ISA.8.19, JPS 1917)↗ · And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; and I will make void the counsel thereof; and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, and to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits.↗ (Prophets ISA.19.3, JPS 1917)↗

spiritual — Everyday, meaning 1: To do with the human spirit, feelings and soul, rather than the body or things you own.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To do with religion or deep beliefs: a spiritual leader.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Noun: a religious song first sung by enslaved African Americans, such as «Swing Low, Sweet Chariot».↗ Example: The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader.↗ · Many people find walking in the mountains a spiritual experience.↗ · We sang an old spiritual in music class.↗ · Prayer is part of her spiritual life.↗ · The choir sang «Swing Low, Sweet Chariot», a famous spiritual.↗ · Art can feed your spiritual side.↗ · This belief is not peculiar to the Slavonians but it is one of the characteristic features of their spiritual creed.↗ · It is the Consummation of the Truth of individual spiritual things.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗ · It is the Consummation of the Truth of indivi- dual spiritual things.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The tongue is, as it were, the descriptive pen of all the spiritual issues, and the genital parts are the originators of the corporeal substances.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

spiritually — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: In a way that concerns the spirit or soul rather than the body.↗ Example: Each working after its own way, physically and spiritually.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

spit — Everyday, meaning 1: To spit is to push liquid or food out of your mouth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spit is the liquid in your mouth (saliva).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A spit is a long metal rod for roasting meat over a fire.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A spit is a long, narrow point of land sticking out into the sea.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To spit (of rain) is to rain lightly.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: To be the spitting image of someone is to look exactly like them.↗ Example: Spit the toothpaste into the sink.↗ · It's rude to spit on the pavement.↗ · Spit out that gum!↗ · The llama spat at the visitors.↗ · They roasted a pig on a spit.↗ · We walked to the end of the sandy spit.↗ · It's only spitting, so we can still play outside.↗ · You're the spitting image of your dad.↗ · In the kitchen the deer roasted on the spit before the fire.↗ · And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.↗ (Torah LEV.15.8, JPS 1917)↗ · They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.↗ (Writings JOB.30.10, JPS 1917)↗ · He hath made me also a byword of the people; and I am become one in whose face they spit.↗ (Writings JOB.17.6, JPS 1917)↗

spite — Everyday, meaning 1: Spite is a wish to hurt, annoy or upset someone on purpose: he broke it out of spite.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To spite someone is to do something just to annoy or upset them.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In spite of means «even though» or «without being stopped by»: we played in spite of the rain.↗ Example: She hid my pencil case out of spite.↗ · In spite of the rain, we went to the beach.↗ · He refused to help just to spite his brother.↗ · Don't let spite ruin your friendship.↗ · We won in spite of having only ten players.↗ · Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.↗ · The witch laughed with spite.↗ · Our Mayblossom will be happy in spite of her predictions.’↗ · And if in spite of these things ye will not be corrected unto Me, but will walk contrary unto Me; (Torah LEV.26.23, JPS 1917)↗ · In spite of the numerous works written on Hebrew orthography since the beginning of the tenth century, there is not one which may be considered as really based on the Hebrew.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

spiteful — Everyday, meaning 1: Spiteful means wanting to hurt or annoy someone, and being unkind on purpose.↗ Example: The spiteful creature lifted its crest.↗ · The spiteful queen said, «There's an end of all thy beauty.»↗ · He had a bad and spiteful nature.↗

spitefully — Everyday, meaning 1: Spitefully means in a way that is meant to hurt or annoy someone.↗ Example: He said spitefully, «I am not afraid of you.»↗ · Big Toomai prodded the elephant spitefully, because he was angry.↗

spitting — Everyday, meaning 1: Forcing saliva (spit) or food out of your mouth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of rain, UK and Ireland) Raining very lightly.↗ e.g. "It's only spitting."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Making small hot bursts or sparks, like fat in a pan or a fire.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (of an animal) Hissing angrily, like a cat.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: In "spitting image": looking exactly like someone.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: In "spitting distance": very close.↗ Example: Spitting at someone is very rude.↗ · It's just spitting, so we can still go to the park.↗ · The sausages were spitting in the hot pan.↗ · The angry cat was spitting and hissing.↗ · You're the spitting image of your mum!↗ · The beach is within spitting distance of our hotel.↗ · The coach was spitting mad after the match.↗ · Brush your teeth, then finish by spitting into the sink.↗ · From that time forward the Smith gave up spitting at the Demon and striking him with his hammer.↗ · I gave my back to the smiters, and my checks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.↗ (Prophets ISA.50.6, JPS 1917)↗

spittle — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The wet liquid in the mouth; spit.↗ Example: How long wilt Thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?↗ (Writings JOB.7.19, JPS 1917)↗ · And he changed his demeanour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.↗ (Prophets 1SA.21.14, JPS 1917)↗

splash — Everyday, meaning 1: To splash is to hit water or another liquid so that drops fly about.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To splash someone or something is to make them wet with drops of liquid.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A splash is the sound or movement of liquid hitting something, or a small spot of liquid.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A splash of colour is a small bright patch of it.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To make a splash is to get a lot of attention.↗ Example: The children splashed in the puddles.↗ · A car splashed water all over my coat.↗ · The frog jumped into the pond with a big splash.↗ · Wear goggles so chemicals don't splash in your eyes.↗ · She added a splash of milk to her tea.↗ · The red flowers were a splash of colour in the grey yard.↗ · The new film made a splash.↗ · We splashed about in the paddling pool.↗ · There was a splash, and then silence.↗

splat — Everyday, meaning 1: Splat is the wet slapping sound something soft makes when it hits a surface hard: splat!↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A splat is a messy mark made this way.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To splat is to hit something with this sound, or to squash flat.↗ Example: The egg fell on the floor — splat!↗ · The tomato hit the wall with a splat.↗ · Splat!↗ The snowball hit his back.↗ · There was a big paint splat on the carpet.↗ · The mud pie went splat on the ground.↗ · The cartoon cat went splat against the window.↗ · Onomatopoeia words include splat, crash and buzz.↗

splay — Everyday, meaning 1: To splay is to spread things wide apart, especially fingers, legs or feet.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Splayed means spread out wide or turned outward.↗ Example: Splay your fingers wide like a starfish.↗ · The frog jumped with its legs splayed.↗ · The puppy lay splayed out on the cool floor.↗ · He fell over on the ice with his arms splayed.↗ · A giraffe has to splay its front legs to drink.↗ · The tree's roots splayed out across the ground.↗

spleen — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: An organ in the body near the stomach that helps clean the blood.↗ Example: He produced Quoph, predominant in Mirth, crowned, combined, and formed Pisces in the world, Adar in the year, and the spleen in man.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗ · He produced Qoph, predominant in Mirth, crowned it, combined and formed with it Pisces in the Universe, Adar in the Year, and the spleen of Man.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · He made the letter Nun reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Scorpio in the World, and Marcheshwan in the Year, and the spleen in the Person.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗