Word origins

• somnialPertaining to dreams.
• sorbetièreAn ice cream maker.
• SorbonA commune of Ardennes department, France.
• SorbonistA student or teacher at the Sorbonne.
• sordiditySordidness.
• sorghosorghum
• sortilegiousPertaining to sortilege, sorcerous
• SothicOf or relating to the star Sirius, particularly in Egyptian or ancient Greek contexts.
• sottisierA compilation of banal, hackneyed, or otherwise objectionable snippets of text from various authors.
• SoubeyranA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• soubresautA sudden jump from both feet, travelling forward in first, third, or fifth position and landing on both feet in the same position as they started.
• soubretteA female attendant or servant, especially one who is cheeky or mischievous, often featuring in theatrical comedies.
• soucoupeA type of small submarine designed to hold two people.
• soufflageThe surrealist technique of blowing liquid paint to inspire or reveal an image.
• souffléA baked dish made from beaten egg whites and various other ingredients, usually prepared and served in a small earthenware bowl (ramekin).
• SoufrièreA village in Dominica.
• soumA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• soup du jourSoup of the day; today's soup; whatever soup is sold under that name in a particular restaurant and/or on a particular day.
• soupe maigreA soup made chiefly from vegetables or fish with a little butter and a few condiments.
• souplesseAs articulated by Daryl Copeland: in guerrilla diplomacy, the ability to connect with the global political economy of knowledge for the remedial application of scientific and technological capacity in order to engage specific threats and challenges, typically in support of security and regional development.
• sourdelineA kind of small bagpipe.
• sourdineA muted trumpet.
• SouriauA surname from French.
• sous-Under.
• sous-chefThe chef underneath the head chef in the chef's hierarchy.
• sousveillanceThe recording of an activity from the perspective of participant in the activity.
• sous-videIn the manner of heating in an airtight bag for an extended period of time at relatively low, but tightly controlled temperature.
• soutacheA narrow braid often decorated with a herringbone pattern
• soutaneA long gown with sleeves and buttons at the front, particularly when worn by Roman Catholic clerics.
• souteneurA man who protects, and commonly compels, a prostitute of any gender and lives off the earnings; a pimp. Originally a Parisian term, but since adopted into other languages such as English.
• souverainistA supporter of souverainism.
• spadassina fighter, duelist.
• spadilleThe ace of spades in ombre and quadrille.
• spahiAn Ottoman (Turkish empire) cavalryman, especially as recruited under a land-based system.
• sparadrapA cerecloth.
• sparterieArticles made from esparto.
• spasmophiliaA condition of increased electrical and mechanical excitability in babies.
• spathiformResembling spar in form.
• spationautA French astronaut.
• speakerineA female speaker.
• SpézetA village in Finistère department, Brittany, France.
• sphenetitanite
• spiritrompeSynonym of haustellum (“sucking organ”).
• spiritual naturalismA worldview that reveres nature, without belief in the supernatural.
• spirituelleShowing great grace and delicacy.
• spoil-paperAn unskilled writer.
• sporuleA small spore
• SPVMMontreal police service — the police for the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• squinanceThe quinsy.
• stagiaireAn amateur rider who is taken in by a professional team during the season.
• staircase witThe thinking of an idea or course of action too late to use it effectively, or the tendency to do so.
• St. AlbertA city in Alberta, Canada; a suburb of Edmonton
• St. AndreA surname from French.
• St. AnthonyA town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• StaquetA surname from French.
• stasiologyThe study of political parties.
• state of siegeAn exceptional legal condition in which constitutional limits on the powers of the government are suspended, usually owing to military necessity and implying martial law.
• staturoponderalConcerning the height and weight of a person.
• St ClairA seaside suburb of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• St. ClairA township in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada.
• St. CroixA river in Wisconsin and Minnesota, United States, which is a tributary of the Mississippi.
• steak DianeA filet mignon, often cooked at the table in a restaurant, seasoned with garlic and black pepper, fried quickly in butter, and flambéed in brandy.
• steak tartareA French dish made of raw minced beef steak, often served with onions, capers and other ingredients.
• stearinSolid fat.
• stereotomyThe cutting or dissection of solids.
• St. IgnaceA city, the county seat of Mackinac County, Michigan, United States.
• stipulaceousstipular; of or relating to stipules
• StjusteA surname from French.
• stoicityStoicism.
• St. Peter'sA village in Nova Scotia, Canada.
• structural anthropologyThe study of human bodies; anatomy.
• St. Shott'sA town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• stupiditéSynonym of stupidity.
• St. VithA city in the province of Liege in Belgium, belonging to the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
• style briséAn irregular arpeggiated texture in baroque music.
• suberinA waxy material found in the cell walls of cork and similar plants.
• Sublime PorteThe monumental portal at the Ottoman palace where the supreme tribunals were held; became the surname of the first palace in Bursa, transferred to the even grander Topkapı palace after the capital's transfer to Istanbul (the former Byzantine imperial capital Constantinople)
• subpriorThe assistant or deputy of a prior
• subtilizeTo make subtle; to make thin or fine; to make less gross or coarse.
• succès de scandaleThe success of work of art due primarily to scandalous subject matter rather than artistic merit.
• succès d'estimeCritical success for a work of art, regardless of whether the work is popular with the general public.
• succès fouA tremendous success.
• succulenceThe property of being succulent.
• sucre bleuExpressing anger or surprise.
• sucrierA sugar producer or seller.
• Sud-EstOne of the ten departments of Haiti.
• Sud-OuestSynonym of Southwest (“a borough and region of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada”).
• suintA substance obtained from the dried perspiration of sheep wool, it is of a fatty and earthy consistency and contains potassium salts.
• Sun KingLouis XIV, king of France between 1643 and 1715
• SupervielleA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• SupervilleA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• SuppleeA surname from French.
• suradditionSomething added or appended, as to a name.
• surbasedhaving its height less than half of its span
• Sûretéthe civilian national police forces in some French speaking countries (e.g. Algeria and Morocco)
• suricateThe meerkat, a member of the mongoose family.
• surmitto surmise.
• surmoulageThe fraudulent practice of taking a casting directly from a sculpture rather than from the artist's original.
• surmulletA red mullet, Mullus surmuletus.
• surmulotThe brown rat.