Sistan
an extensive level and lowlying tract on the borders of Persia and Afghanistan, partly filled by the Hamum (Sistan) Lake or swamp. It is divided between Persia and Afghanistan.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Single-source entries: S (102)
These 15 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Sistan, Sisters of Charity, Sistine Madonna.
Sisters of Charity
an order of unmarried women in the Roman Catholic church. The first congregation was established at Chatillon, France, by St. Vincent de Paul, in 1629. Under authority of the church its houses are to be found all over the world. The sisters are devoted to the care of foundling and destitute children, aged persons, and sick people. They support a large number of hospitals and are noted as nurses. The sisters of charity are well known for their kindly acts and unselfishness, and are regarded with respect. A number of smaller orders have been founded under the same name and have branches in America. An American order of sisters of charity was founded in Maryland in 1804, but the public understands little of the distinction between different congregations of the name. The tendency of late has been to unite the several orders.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Sistine Madonna
a famous painting of the Christ mother and child by Raphael. See Raphael ; Madonna ; Dresden
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Sistova
a town of Bulgaria; on the Danube, opposite Simmitza; 38 miles S. W. of Rustchuk, beautifully situated on undulating slopes. It has mosques and churches, and carries on manufactures of wine, leather, and wool. Here was signed, on Aug. 4, 1791, a treaty of peace between Turkey and Austria. Sistova was a place of some importance in the Russo-Turkish War. Part of the Russian army crossed the Danube here, and the town fell into their hands on June 27, 1877. Pop. about 14,000.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Sisyphus
Son of Aeolus and Enaretta. After death he was condemned, in the infernal regions, to roll a stone to the summit of a hill, which always rolled back, and rendered his punishment eternal. Smyrna or Zmyrna (Smyrna, Turkish Izmir). One of the most ancient and flourishing cities of Asia Minor, and the only one of the great cities on its west coast which has survived to this day. 2026 Editor's Note: Sisyphus was the founder and king of Ephyra, the city later known as Corinth. His eternal punishment of rolling a boulder uphill only for it to roll back down is the origin of the modern adjective Sisyphean, describing any laborious and futile task. (Ed: BR 2026-06-30)
Only in 1000 Classical Characters
Sisyphus
in mythology, a descendant of Æolus, said by some to have lived at Ephyra, on the Peloponnesus, while others allege that he was a robber, slain by Theseus. His punishment in Tartarus for his crimes committed on earth consisted in rolling a huge stone to the top of a high hill, which constantly co recoiled, and thus rendered his labor incessant.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Sivas
a town in Armenia, the center of a large and fertile plain watered by the Kizil Irmak, 410 miles E. S. E. of Constantinople. It has numerous mosques, large and well-supplied bazaars, commodious khans, baths, etc. Being on the road from Bagdad, and having easy access to the Black Sea, it commands a considerable trade. Pop. about 65,000. organization of
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Six Nations
. See Iroquois
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Sixth Sense
A term used to denote the faculty of spiritual perception, which is distinct from, and higher than, the five physical senses. It is the possession of the medium, the psychic or sensitive, and in some measure of all hypnotic subjects. It is not properly a separate sense at all, but is compounded from the spiritual correlates of the physical senses.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Sizes and Weights of Balances
The size and weight of the balance are two very important elements in the timing of a watch and especially in adjusting to positions. The rules governing the sizes and weights of balances, says Mr.
Only in American Watchmaker and Jeweler
Sizes of Watch Movements
Swiss and French watches are measured by the French ligne (line) which is one-twelfth of an inch of a Paris foot. One line equals .088814 of an English inch, or 2.25583 mm. The movements are spoken of as 14-line, 18-line, 19-line, etc. Mr. Aaron L. Dennison is said to be the inventor of the system employed for the sizing of American watches and he first applied it to the watches made by the American Horologe Company, about 1851. One inch was taken as a basing figure and to this 5/30 of an inch was added for a "fall" or drop, this being allowed so that the movement could be tipped into its place of seating in a ring or case; then every 1/30 of an inch formed a size. A 16-size would then be 1 inch + 5/30 + 16/30 = 1 21/30.
Only in American Watchmaker and Jeweler
Skagen
CAPE, or THE SKAW, the extreme N. point of the province of Jutland, Denmark. A lighthouse, 67 feet high, built by Frederick II. in 1564, is II. situated on the cape. The village of Skagen, close by, has 2,000 inhabitants.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Skager Rack
a broad arm of the German Ocean, which washes Norway on the N., Jutland on the S., and Sweden on the E., where it communicates with the Cattegat; length, W. S. W. to E. N. E., about 150 miles; breadth, 80 miles. Its depth varies from 30 to upward of 400 fathoms. There are several good harbors on the Norwegian and Swedish coasts.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Skagway
a town on Chilkat Inlet, Alaska; at the head of Lynn canal, and at the entrance to the White Pass. It is a result of expeditions to the Yukon gold fields in 1897, when the White Pass began to be used as a means of reaching the Klondike and its vicinity. Skagway is a landing-place for steamers and a distributing point for supplies to and from the Canadian Klondike. Its name is derived from the Indian name of a river which flows into the sea near the town. Pop. (1920) 494.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Skald
or Scald, an ancient Scandinavian poet. The skald composed songs and poems, and on public occasions sang and recited them. While the skald corresponded in some measure to the bard of the Britons, the word designates specifically those poets whose art required a learned education; that is, a thorough knowledge of the construction of verse. The chief aim of the skald was to celebrate the deeds of some living prince or warrior. A skillful skald was therefore in demand and was well rewarded for his labor. Few complete skaldic poems have been preserved. Many fragments, however, are extant. Some of them are to be found in the Younger Edda and others in the sagas. See Saga ; Edda
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia