WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Ryt"i*na
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo?l.)
Definition : Defn: A genus of large edentulous sirenians, allied to the dugong and manatee, including but one species (R. Stelleri); -- called also Steller's sea cow. [Written also Rhytina.]

Note: * It is now extinct, but was formerly abundant at Behring's Island, near Behring's Straits. It was twenty-five feet or more in length, with a thick, blackish, naked skin. The last were killed in 1768 for their oil and flesh.

S

Defn: the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a consonanat, and is often called a sibilant, in allusion to its hissing sound. It has two principal sounds; one a more hissing, as in sack, this; the other a vocal hissing (the same as that of z), as in is, wise. Besides these it sometimes has the sounds of sh and zh, as in sure, measure. It generally has its hissing sound at the beginning of words, but in the middle and at the end of words its sound is determined by usage. In a few words it is silent, as in isle, d?bris. With the letter h it forms the digraph sh. See Guide to pronunciation, t\'c5 255-261.

Note: Both the form and the name of the letter S are derived from the Latin, which got the letter through the Greek from the Ph?nician. the ultimate origin is Egyptian. S is etymologically most nearly related to c, z, t, and r; as, in ice, OE. is; E. hence, OE. hennes; E. rase, raze; erase, razor; that, G. das; E. reason, F. raison, L. ratio; E. was, were; chair, chaise (see C, Z, T, and R.).
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913