In a passage of Dryden's, the word is supposed to refer to the
hippopotamus.
Sea" hul"ver (?). (Bot.) Sea holly.
Sea"-is`land (?), a. Of or pertaining to certain islands along the
coast of South Carolina and Georgia; as, sea-island cotton, a superior
cotton of long fiber produced on those islands.
Sea" jel"ly (?). (Zoöl.) A medusa, or jellyfish.
Seak (?), n. Soap prepared for use in milling cloth.
Sea" kale" (?). (Bot.) See under Kale.
Sea" king` (?). One of the leaders among the Norsemen who passed their
lives in roving the seas in search of plunder and adventures; a Norse
pirate chief. See the Note under Viking.
Seal (sl), n. [OE. sele, AS. seolh; akin to OHG. selah, Dan. sæl, Sw.
själ, Icel. selr.] (Zoöl.) Any aquatic carnivorous mammal of the
families Phocidæ and Otariidæ.
Seals inhabit seacoasts, and are found principally in the higher
latitudes of both hemispheres. There are numerous species, bearing such
popular names as sea lion, sea leopard, sea bear, or ursine seal, fur
seal, and sea elephant. The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), the
hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), and the ringed seal (Phoca fœtida),
are northern species. See also Eared seal, Harp seal, Monk seal, and
Fur seal, under Eared, Harp, Monk, and Fur. Seals are much hunted for
their skins and fur, and also for their oil, which in some species is
very abundant.
Harbor seal (Zoöl.), the common seal (Phoca vitulina). It inhabits both
the North Atlantic and the North Pacific Ocean, and often ascends
rivers; -- called also marbled seal, native seal, river seal, bay seal,
land seal, sea calf, sea cat, sea dog, dotard, ranger, selchie,
tangfish.
Seal, n. [OE. seel, OF. seel, F. sceau, fr. L. sigillum a little figure
or image, a seal, dim. of signum a mark, sign, figure, or image. See
Sign, n., and cf. Sigil.] 1. An engraved or inscribed stamp, used for
marking an impression in wax or other soft substance, to be attached to
a document, or otherwise used by way of authentication or security.
2. Wax, wafer, or other tenacious substance, set to an instrument, and
impressed or stamped with a seal; as, to give a deed under hand and
seal.
Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond Thou but offend'st
thy lungs to speak so loud.
Shak.
3. That which seals or fastens; esp., the wax or wafer placed on a
letter or other closed paper, etc., to fasten it.
4. That which confirms, ratifies, or makes stable; that which
authenticates; that which secures; assurance. "Under the seal of
silence." Milton.
Like a red seal is the setting sun On the good and the evil men
have done.
Longfellow.
5. An arrangement for preventing the entrance or return of gas or air
into a pipe, by which the open end of the pipe dips beneath the surface
of water or other liquid, or a deep bend or sag in the pipe is filled
with the liquid; a draintrap.
Great seal. See under Great. -- Privy seal. See under Privy, a. -- Seal
lock, a lock in which the keyhole is covered by a seal in such a way
that the lock can not be opened without rupturing the seal. -- Seal
manual. See under Manual, a. -- Seal ring, a ring having a seal
engraved on it, or ornamented with a device resembling a seal; a signet
ring. Shak.
Seal, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sealed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sealing.] [OE.
selen; cf. OF. seeler, seieler, F. sceller, LL. sigillare. See Seal a
stamp.] 1. To set or affix a seal to; hence, to authenticate; to
confirm; to ratify; to establish; as, to seal a deed.
And with my hand I seal my true heart's love.
Shak.
2. To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal
size, or merchantable quality; as, to seal weights and measures; to
seal silverware.
3. To fasten with a seal; to attach together with a wafer, wax, or
other substance causing adhesion; as, to seal a letter.
4. Hence, to shut close; to keep close; to make fast; to keep secure or
secret.
Seal up your lips, and give no words but "mum".
Shak.
5. To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement, plaster, or the
like. Gwilt.
6. To close by means of a seal; as, to seal a drainpipe with water. See
2d Seal, 5.
7. Among the Mormons, to confirm or set apart as a second or additional
wife. [Utah, U.S.]
If a man once married desires a second helpmate . . . she is sealed
to him under the solemn sanction of the church.
H. Stansbury.