Word origins

• sphaeridiumSynonym of capitulum.
• sphaerosporeOne of the non-sexual spores found in red algae; a tetraspore.
• spheksophobiaFear of wasps.
• sphenicShaped like a wedge.
• spheno-Wedge, wedge-shaped.
• sphenogramA cuneiform character/symbol.
• sphexishOf animal behaviour: deterministic, preprogrammed.
• sphragisticsThe study of seals, especially those attached to documents
• sphrigosisIn a tree, excessive growth of wood and leaves at the expense of fruit.
• sphygm-pulse, pulsation (of blood delivered by the beating heart)
• spilomabirthmark
• spilositeA greenish schistose rock spotted with chlorite.
• spilusnaevus
• spinthariscopeAn early device for observing individual nuclear disintegrations.
• spiremeThe tangled mass of strands of chromatin seen in the early stages of mitosis, originally believed to be a single continuous strand (or two in a diploid cell, etc.)
• splanchno-viscera; intestine
• splanchnopleureA layer of embryonic cells formed from the mesoderm and endoderm that develops into the wall of the viscera.
• splanchnoskeletonThat part of the skeleton connected with the sense organs and the viscera.
• splenalgiaPain in the region of the spleen.
• splenizationA morbid state of the lung produced by inflammation, in which its tissue resembles that of the spleen.
• spleno-spleen
• splenocleisisClosure of the spleen, surgical procedure that induces the formation of fibrous tissue on the surface of the spleen to create a closure.
• splenoidOf, related to, or resembling the spleen.
• splenotoxinAny substance that is toxic to the spleen.
• spodogenousCaused by waste products; applied to an enlargement of the spleen caused by waste red blood cells.
• spodomancyDivination by means of ashes.
• spodumeneThe mineral lithium aluminium inosilicate (LiAl(SiO₃)₂), a pyroxene and ore of lithium, sometimes regarded as a gemstone, which may be greenish, yellowish or pinkish in appearance.
• spondylo-Vertebra; vertebral column (spine, spinal).
• spongio-Relating to sponges or a spongy substance.
• spongiopilinA kind of cloth interwoven with small pieces of sponge and rendered waterproof on one side by a covering of rubber. When moistened with hot water it is used as a poultice.
• sporozoidA zoospore.
• -stadUsed to refer to things (eg, water layers in the ocean) characterized by their constant physical quantities.
• staphylineOf or pertaining to the uvula or the palate.
• staphylo-Pertaining to a microorganism cluster with a grape-like arrangement.
• staphyloncusA tumor or swelling of the uvula.
• stasibasiphobiaThe fear of standing and walking.
• stasimonA song of the chorus during a tragedy, continued without the interruption of dialogue or anapaestics.
• stathmographA device for recording the speed of a railway train.
• stato-Propagules or spores in aquatic organisms.
• stauro-cross; cross-shaped
• staurothekeA reliquary containing fragments of the True Cross.
• stearrheaseborrhea
• steato-fat
• steatomaA sebaceous cyst.
• steganophonyA form of steganography in which messages are hidden in computer audio files.
• steganopodAny of the Steganopodes, a former suborder of birds having four toes webbed together.
• steganopodousHaving all four toes webbed together (said of birds of the former suborder Steganopodes).
• stegnosisconstipation
• stegnoticantidiarrheic
• stegodonAny member of the extinct genus †Stegodon, related to modern elephants; a stegodont.
• stegodontA stegodon, an extinct relative of the modern elephants; a member of the taxonomic genus †Stegodon.
• stegognathousHaving a jaw composed of imbricated plates.
• stegokrotaphicOf a caecilian: Having a skull with a closed or fused temporal region.
• stelocyttarousSupported by one or more pillars.
• stelographyThe art of writing or inscribing characters on pillars.
• stemmaticsThe study of multiple surviving versions of the same text with the aim of reconstructing a lost original.
• StenianThe final geologic period in the Mesoproterozoic Era, from 1200 million to 1000 million years ago.
• steno-narrow or restricted
• stenopaeicPertaining to a narrow opening or slit in an opaque barrier that restricts the light which reaches the eye.
• stephanionThe point on the side of the skull where the upper temporal line, or upper edge of the temporal fossa, crosses the coronal suture.
• stephano-resembling a wreath
• stephanokontHaving a subapical ring of short flagella that are uniform in length.
• stereometryThe science of measuring the volume of solids or solid bodies.
• -stericForms terms relating to binding behaviors towards enzymes and receptors. See Allostery.
• stericationAn operation in any dimension that cuts a regular polytope at its cells, its faces, its edges and its vertices, creating a new facet in place of each cell, each face, each edge and each vertex.
• sterigmaA slim projecting part of the basidium of some species of fungi that carries the basidiospore.
• StesichorusAn Ancient Greek name, particularly borne by a Greek lyric poet from Himera in Sicily (640-555 BC).
• stetho-chest
• sthen-Strength.
• stheneA kilonewton. Used with the tonne as the unit of mass.
• SthenoThe eldest and most ferocious of the gorgons.
• stibiconiteAn isometric-hexoctahedral mineral containing antimony, hydrogen, and oxygen.
• sticharionThe outer clerical garb worn by clergy in the Greek Orthodox Church, corresponding to the alb in Latin-Rite Catholic Churches.
• sticho-Concerning rows or lines, such as lines of poetry.
• stichomythiaA technique in drama or poetry, in which alternating lines, or half-lines, are given to alternating characters, voices, or entities.
• stigmatismImage-formation property of an optical system which focuses a single point source in object space into a single point in image space
• stigmergyA mechanism of spontaneous, indirect coordination between agents or actions, where the trace left in the environment by an action stimulates the performance of a subsequent action.
• stilba unit of luminance equal to one candela per square centimetre
• stilbiteA tectosilicate zeolite mineral consisting of hydrated calcium aluminium silicate, common in volcanic rocks.
• stilpnomelaneA metamorphic phyllosilicate mineral of the mica group, having the chemical formula K(Fe²⁺,Mg,Fe³⁺)₈(Si,Al)₁₂(O,OH)₂₇.
• stœchiologyScientific study of bodily elements.
• stoichiologyThe part of physiology that deals with the elements, or principles, composing animal tissues.
• stomato-mouth
• -stomemouth or mouth-like opening
• stomodeumA depression on the ectoderm of a developing embryo that becomes the mouth.
• strabotomyThe surgical procedure of cutting or making an incision in a muscle or tendon of the eye to correct strabismus, or squint.
• stratographyA description of an army, or of what belongs to an army.
• strepsirrhineAny member of the clade Strepsirrhini, one of the two suborders of primates, besides haplorhines (which includes monkeys and apes).
• strepto-twisted
• strobo-A combining form meaning "whirling" or "spinning", especially when referring to periodic motion or a rapid sequence of events; by extension, often used in contexts involving "flashing light".
• stromatoliteA laminated, columnar, rock-like structure constituting a large share of all fossils from 3.5 to 0.5 billion years ago, with some still being formed at present, some or all of which result from the deposit of minerals by microorganisms such as cyanobacteria.
• stromatologyThe history of the formation of stratified rocks.
• strongyleA nematode worm of the family Strongylidae, often parasitic in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals, especially horses
• strophioleAn excrescence or tubercle around the hilum of certain seeds.
• stryphnic acidA supposed nitrogenous acid obtained by the action of acetic acid and potassium nitrite on uric acid, later found to be a mixture of allantoin with oxaluric acid and oxalic acid.
• stygo-Dark and damp, like the Underworld
• styliteA Christian ascetic in ancient times who lived alone on top of a tall pillar.
• stylitismThe practice of living atop a pillar as a form of Christian asceticism.
• stylohyalA segment in the hyoid arch between the epihyal and tympanohyal.
• stylometerAn instrument for measuring columns.