Words starting with S

864 words from the Lexfall vocabulary, each with a definition and an example sentence.

S-curve The characteristic pattern of slow initial growth, rapid acceleration, and eventual...
sabbatical An extended period of leave from work, whether paid or unpaid, for rest, study, or travel.
sabre-rattling A threatening display of military strength or aggressive rhetoric intended to intimidate...
saccade A rapid jump of the eyes from one point of fixation to another.
saccharine Excessively or cloyingly sweet, often unpleasantly so.
SAFE A Simple Agreement for Future Equity, an instrument that gives an investor the right to...
safe harbor A provision that shields a party from liability if specified conditions are met.
safe port A port which, at the relevant time, a vessel can reach, use and leave without being...
safeguard A temporary trade restriction imposed to shield a domestic industry from a surge in...
safeguarding The process of protecting vulnerable people from abuse, neglect or harm.
safety-net advice Clear guidance given to parents on what warning signs to watch for and when to seek...
safety-netting Giving the patient clear advice on what warning signs to watch for and when to seek...
safety stock Extra inventory held to absorb unexpected demand or supply shocks.
sagacious Showing keen practical wisdom.
sagacity The quality of being wise and showing sound judgement.
said Referring to a person or thing already specifically identified earlier in the document.
saintly Displaying exceptional holiness, patience, or moral goodness.
salami tactics Winning a large objective by slicing it into small demands, each too minor to be worth...
salary sacrifice An arrangement in which an employee gives up part of their gross salary in return for a...
sales cycle The typical length and sequence of steps from first contact to a closed sale.
sales velocity The rate at which pipeline converts to revenue, combining deal size, win rate, and cycle...
salience The degree to which a brand comes to mind in a buying situation.
salient Most noticeable or important; standing out prominently.
salubrious Health-giving; pleasant and agreeable, especially of a place.
salutary Producing a beneficial effect, especially through a corrective or cautionary lesson.
salvage The reward payable to those who voluntarily and successfully save maritime property in...
salvo A simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms, or a sudden burst of anything.
samara A dry, winged fruit or seed that is carried on the wind.
same-actor inference The evidentiary presumption against discrimination when the person who hired an employee...
sample ratio mismatch A discrepancy between the expected and observed split of users across experiment...
sampling The application of audit procedures to less than the whole population so that conclusions...
sanctimonious Making a conspicuous and often hypocritical show of moral or religious superiority.
sanction To give official permission or approval for an action, a sense opposite to its punitive...
sanctity The quality of being holy, morally pure, or worthy of reverence.
sandbag To deliberately understate targets so they are easy to beat.
sandbagging Closing a deal despite already knowing a representation is false, then suing on the...
sangfroid Composure under strain or danger.
sanguinary Involving or eager for much bloodshed and slaughter.
sanguine Cheerfully optimistic, especially in a hard situation.
sanity check A quick, rough verification that a result is plausible before trusting or acting on it.
sapid Having a strong, pleasant, and distinct flavour.
saprophyte An organism, especially a fungus, that feeds on dead or decaying organic matter.
sarcasm The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
sarcoidosis A multisystem inflammatory disease of unknown cause characterised by non-caseating...
sarcoma A malignant tumour arising from mesenchymal tissues such as bone, muscle, fat or...
sarcopenia The progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, often associated with ageing.
sardonic Grimly mocking or cynical.
sardonicism The quality of grimly scornful, mocking humour.
sashay To walk or glide in an ostentatious, showily confident manner.
sate To satisfy an appetite or desire fully, sometimes to excess.
satiation The point at which additional consumption yields no further satisfaction.
satiety The feeling or state of being fully satisfied, especially by food.
satisfaction The equitable presumption that a later gift or provision was intended to discharge an...
satisfice To settle for an option that is good enough rather than searching for the optimum.
satisficing A decision-making approach that settles for an outcome that is good enough rather than...
saturate To supply a market so fully that little room for further sales remains.
saturation The percentage of haemoglobin carrying oxygen in the blood, measured to assess...
saturnine Gloomy, dark or sardonic in temperament or appearance.
saudade A tender longing for something absent and perhaps lost.
save as Except as otherwise provided in a specified place, used to carve out an exception to a...
save as expressly admitted A defence formula denying every allegation that has not been specifically admitted.
save that Except that, introducing a single qualification to an otherwise general statement.
savoir-faire The ability to act adroitly and appropriately in any social situation.
savour To taste or enjoy food slowly and appreciatively.
say-on-pay A shareholder vote on the company's executive compensation arrangements.
SBAR A structured communication tool with four sections — Situation, Background, Assessment...
scabrous Rough and covered with scales or small projections to the touch.
scalability The capacity of a business model to grow revenue much faster than its costs.
scalable Capable of being expanded in size or scope without a loss of efficiency.
scale A visible flake of stratum corneum arising from abnormal keratinisation and shedding of...
scale up To increase the size, capacity, or output of an operation to meet growing demand.
scaling The professional removal of plaque and calculus from the tooth surfaces.
scaling and polishing A professional cleaning procedure that removes plaque and calculus and then smooths the...
scalpel A small, extremely sharp bladed instrument used for making surgical incisions.
scalping Recommending a security while secretly intending to sell one's own holdings into the...
scansion The analysis of verse to reveal its metrical pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
scapegoat A person unfairly blamed for the failings of others.
scarcity The fundamental economic condition in which finite resources are insufficient to satisfy...
scènes à faire Stock scenes, incidents, or elements so standard to a genre that they draw no copyright...
scepticism A philosophical stance questioning whether certain or any knowledge is genuinely...
schadenfreude Pleasure taken in another’s misfortune.
schedule of condition A record of a property's state at the start of a lease, used to limit later repair...
schema An organized mental or conceptual framework used to structure and interpret information.
schism A deep division or split within a group or organisation.
schistocyte A fragmented red blood cell produced by mechanical shearing, characteristic of...
schizophasia Severely disorganised speech in which words and phrases are strung together...
sciatica Pain radiating along the sciatic nerve from the lower back down the leg.
scienter Guilty knowledge that one's conduct is wrongful or unlawful.
scintigraphy A nuclear-medicine technique that maps the distribution of an injected radioactive tracer...
scintilla The smallest possible trace or amount, especially of evidence.
scintillate To emit or reflect quick, glittering flashes of light.
scintillating Sparkling or shining with flashes of light.
scion A descendant or young member of a notable or wealthy family.
scirrhous Describing a hard carcinoma with abundant dense fibrous stroma.
sclera The tough white outer layer of the eyeball that maintains its shape and protects the...
scleritis A painful, potentially sight-threatening inflammation of the sclera, often linked to...
sclerotic Describing bone that appears abnormally dense and white on imaging.
sclerotic lesion An area of increased bone density appearing whiter than normal bone on a radiograph.
scoff To speak about someone or something with scornful mockery.
scoliosis A sideways curvature of the spine.
scope The range of subject matter that a piece of work addresses or deliberately excludes.
scope creep The gradual, uncontrolled expansion of a project's requirements.
scope of work A document that defines exactly what work will be performed, to what standard and by when.
scoping The upfront process of defining a project's boundaries, objectives, deliverables and...
scorched-earth Describing a defensive tactic that deliberately destroys a target company's value to make...
scorecard A concise report tracking performance against a defined set of key metrics.
scotoma An area of reduced or absent vision surrounded by a field of normal or relatively...
scott schedule A tabular document listing each disputed item alongside the parties' rival contentions...
scrap Material or output rejected during production because it cannot be economically reworked.
scrap rate The percentage of material or product discarded during manufacturing because it cannot be...
screening The strategies an uninformed party uses to draw hidden information out of a...
scrip A provisional certificate entitling the holder to shares, often issued in lieu of a cash...
scruple A moral hesitation that restrains one from a questionable act.
scrupulous Diligently attentive to what is morally right and to small details.
scrutinise To examine something very carefully and critically.
scrutiny of the award The ICC Court's review of a draft award for form, and to draw attention to points of...
scud To move swiftly and lightly, especially driven along by the wind.
scuttle To run hurriedly with short, quick steps.
sea waybill A non-negotiable transport document that evidences the contract of carriage and receipt...
seal the deal To do the final thing that secures an agreement and makes it certain.
sealant A protective coating applied to the grooves of a tooth to prevent decay.
search engine optimisation The practice of improving a website so it ranks higher in unpaid search results.
search order An order permitting a party to enter premises to inspect and preserve evidence at risk of...
searches Enquiries made to public authorities to reveal matters affecting a property before...
seasonality Regular, predictable fluctuations in a metric that recur at particular times of the year,...
seasoning The passage of time after issuance that lets restricted securities become freely tradable...
seat The legal domicile of an arbitration, which fixes the procedural law and the supervisory...
seat of arbitration The legal jurisdiction in which an arbitration is anchored, whose courts and arbitration...
seat of the arbitration The legal, as opposed to merely physical, place of an arbitration, which fixes the...
seaworthiness The fitness of a vessel in all respects — hull, equipment, crew and cargoworthiness — to...
seborrhoea Excessive secretion of sebum from the sebaceous glands, giving the skin an oily...
secession The formal withdrawal of a region or group from a larger political body.
seclusion The supervised confinement of a person alone in a room to manage serious risk to others.
second-line Describing a treatment used when the first choice has failed or cannot be tolerated.
secondaries Deposits of cancer that have spread from the primary site to other parts of the body.
secondary boycott Union pressure aimed at a neutral third party to force it to stop dealing with the...
secondary buyout The sale of a portfolio company by one financial sponsor directly to another.
secondary picketing The picketing of a business not directly involved in a dispute in order to widen its...
secondee An employee who has been temporarily assigned to work elsewhere while remaining employed...
secondment The temporary transfer of an employee to another department, employer, or role for a...
secret trust A trust whose terms are communicated to and accepted by a legatee outside the will,...
secretagogue An agent that stimulates the secretion of a hormone or other substance.
sectarian Relating to bitter divisions between religious or political groups.
section 7 report A welfare report prepared for the court on the circumstances of a child in a dispute...
sectioned Detained in hospital for assessment or treatment under the Mental Health Act against...
secular Driven by long-term structural forces rather than short-term cycles.
secular stagnation A prolonged era of weak demand and low growth that resists conventional stimulus.
secure the airway To ensure a clear, protected passage for breathing, often by inserting a tube.
securitisation The pooling of financial assets and their conversion into tradable securities sold to...
security agent The party that holds the transaction security on trust for, and enforces it on behalf of,...
security for costs An order requiring a party, usually the claimant, to provide security to cover the other...
sedation A drug-induced depression of consciousness along a continuum from light anxiolysis to...
sedation hold A planned daily interruption of sedative infusions to assess neurological status and...
sedative A medicine that has a calming or sleep-inducing effect.
sediment The solid material that settles at the bottom of a fluid sample, examined especially in...
sedition Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against authority.
sedulous Diligent; showing dedicated, persistent effort.
seed round An early financing round used to fund initial product development and the search for...
segmentation Dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers.
segregation of duties Splitting a task among several people so no one person controls a whole risky process.
sehnsucht An intense, bittersweet yearning for something distant or unattainable.
seigniorage The profit a monetary authority earns from issuing currency that costs less to produce...
seignory The lordship or rights retained by a feudal superior over land held of him.
seisin Legal possession of a freehold estate in land.
seizure A sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can cause convulsions,...
selection bias Distortion in results caused by the way subjects are chosen, so the sample is not...
selective advantage A benefit that favours certain undertakings or the production of certain goods, a...
selective disclosure An issuer's release of material nonpublic information to favored analysts or investors...
self-assessment The system under which taxpayers calculate and report their own liability.
self-care The everyday activities of looking after one's own body, such as washing, dressing and...
self-dealing Acting in a transaction to benefit oneself rather than the organization one represents.
self-defence A defence justifying the use of reasonable force to protect oneself, another, or property...
self-determination The right of a people to freely determine their political status and pursue their...
self-effacing Modest and reluctant to draw attention to oneself.
self-harm Deliberate injury to one's own body, such as cutting or overdosing, with or without...
self-incrimination The act of exposing oneself to prosecution through one's own statements.
self-induced intoxication Voluntary drunkenness or drug use, which cannot excuse crimes of basic intent.
self-insured retention The amount of each loss a policyholder pays directly before its insurance responds.
self-limiting Resolving on its own without the need for specific treatment.
self-serving Serving one's own interests, especially in a way that lacks independent support.
selflessness Concern for others' needs rather than one's own; the absence of selfishness.
sell-out A minority shareholder's right to compel a successful bidder to buy their remaining...
semantic layer An abstraction that maps raw data structures to consistent business definitions so...
semantics The aspect of language concerned with the meaning of words and sentences.
seminal Strongly influential and originating later developments in a field.
seminoma A malignant germ-cell tumour of the testis.
semiotics The study of signs and symbols and how they convey meaning.
semivariable Containing both a fixed element and an element that varies with the level of activity.
sempiternal Everlasting and unchanging; enduring for all time.
senescence The gradual process of growing old and declining in vigour.
senior debt Borrowing that ranks first for repayment and is usually secured against the company's...
seniority The ranking of a claim in the order of repayment on insolvency.
sense-check To quickly review something with someone to confirm it is reasonable or correct before...
sensitivity analysis Testing how an output changes as key input assumptions are varied, to see what the result...
sensorimotor Relating to the combined function of sensory input and motor output in producing movement.
sensorineural hearing loss Hearing loss arising from damage to the cochlea or the auditory nerve pathway.
sensory loss A reduced or absent ability to feel touch, temperature, pain or position in part of the...
sensuous Giving or appealing to keen pleasure through the physical senses.
sententious Given to moralising in a pompous or affectedly wise manner.
sentience The capacity to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively.
sentiment The attitude or emotional tone consumers express towards a brand, often measured from...
separability The doctrine treating the arbitration agreement as a distinct contract that may outlast...
separation of powers The constitutional doctrine that legislative, executive and judicial functions should be...
sepsis A life-threatening, body-wide response to infection.
sepsis six A bundle of six urgent interventions delivered within the first hour to a patient with...
septic shock Sepsis with circulatory failure requiring vasopressors and marked by a raised lactate...
septicaemia A serious bloodstream infection in which bacteria multiply and provoke a systemic...
septoplasty The surgical straightening of a deviated nasal septum to relieve obstruction.
sepulchral Suggestive of the tomb; of a voice, gloomy, hollow and deep.
sequela A condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury.
sequelae Conditions or after-effects that follow and result from a disease, injury or procedure.
sequencing The ability to arrange the steps of a task in the correct, logical order.
sequester To isolate a jury from outside influence, or to seize property under judicial authority.
sequestration The pooling or trapping of blood cells within an organ, notably the spleen, removing them...
sequestrum A fragment of dead bone that has become separated from healthy bone, characteristic of...
serendipitous Occurring by a fortunate and unplanned coincidence.
serendipity The luck of finding something good without looking for it.
serene Calm, peaceful and completely untroubled.
serfdom The condition of a labourer bound to the land and subject to a lord.
serial Repeatedly founding one venture after another.
serialisation The assignment of a unique identifier to each individual item so it can be tracked and...
seriatim Point by point, dealing with matters one after another in order.
Series A A company's first significant round of priced venture capital, typically raised to scale...
seroconversion The development of detectable specific antibodies in serum following infection or...
serology The laboratory study of serum, especially the detection of antibodies and antigens.
seroma A collection of clear serous fluid that accumulates in a tissue space, often beneath a...
seroprevalence The proportion of a population testing positive for a specific antibody at a given time.
serotonergic Relating to or acting upon neurotransmission mediated by serotonin.
serotype A subdivision of a species distinguished by its surface antigens.
serpiginous Describing a lesion with a wavy, snake-like or creeping border.
serum creatinine A waste product of muscle metabolism measured in the blood as a marker of kidney function.
servant leadership A leadership philosophy in which the leader's primary role is to serve and develop the...
serve notice To formally deliver a legal notice to a party.
serve proceedings To formally deliver court documents to the other party so that the action can proceed.
service charge A payment made by a tenant to cover the landlord's costs of maintaining the common parts...
service level agreement A formal contract that defines the standard of service a supplier is committed to deliver.
servicing The administration of a loan, including collecting payments and managing the borrower's...
servient tenement The land burdened by an easement for the benefit of neighbouring land.
servile Excessively willing to serve or please others; abjectly submissive.
servitisation The strategy of shifting from selling products to selling them as ongoing services.
servitization A shift from selling products to selling the outcomes and services they deliver.
servitude A condition in which a person is compelled to live and work under another's control,...
sesamoiditis Inflammation of the small bones embedded in the tendon beneath the big toe joint.
sessile Attached directly by its base without a stalk, or fixed in one place.
sestina An elaborate poem of six six-line stanzas whose line-endings recur in a fixed rotating...
set aside To cancel or nullify a judgment or order made by a court.
set objectives To agree specific, measurable goals for an employee to achieve over a defined period.
set-off The right to reduce a sum owed by netting a cross-claim against the same party.
set the tone To establish the prevailing mood, standard or culture through one's leadership.
setback A problem or difficulty that delays or reverses progress.
setting-aside The annulment of an award by the courts of the seat on limited procedural grounds.
settle out of court To resolve a dispute by agreement between the parties without proceeding to trial.
settled and comfortable A documentation phrase indicating a patient is calm, pain-free, and resting well.
settlement The final transfer of funds that clears a payment between the parties' banks.
settlement agreement A legally binding contract by which an employee waives employment claims, usually in...
settlor The person who creates a trust by transferring property to trustees to hold for the...
sever To separate claims or parties for independent trial or judgment.
severability The quality that lets the rest of a contract survive even when one clause is struck down.
severability clause A provision stating that if any part of the contract is held invalid or unenforceable,...
severable Capable of being divided so that one part may stand or fall independently of the rest.
severance The act of turning a joint tenancy into a tenancy in common, ending the right of...
severance package The pay and benefits offered to an employee whose role is being terminated, usually on...
severity The size or cost of an individual loss, as distinct from how often losses occur.
sevoflurane A volatile halogenated ether anaesthetic favoured for inhalational induction owing to its...
sfumato A painting technique of blurring outlines through subtle, smoky gradations of tone.
shadow director A person on whose instructions the formal board is accustomed to act, without holding...
shadowban To quietly limit someone’s reach without telling them.
shall Imposing a binding obligation or duty on a party to do or refrain from doing something.
sham A transaction or document intended to give the appearance of creating rights and...
shamble To walk awkwardly with dragging, shuffling steps.
share capital The total nominal value of the shares that a company has issued to its members.
share of voice A brand's portion of total category advertising or conversation relative to rivals.
share of wallet The proportion of a customer's total category spend that goes to your company rather than...
share premium The excess of the price paid for a share over its nominal value, credited to a statutory...
share purchase agreement The contract under which the shares in a target company are sold and transferred to the...
shared care An arrangement under which a child divides their time substantially between both parents'...
shared decision-making A collaborative approach in which clinician and patient reach a management decision...
shareholder A person or entity that owns one or more shares in a company and is thereby a member of...
shareholders' agreement A private contract between some or all shareholders regulating their relationship and the...
sharp dissection The cutting of tissue with a scalpel or scissors to divide adhesions or separate...
sharp scratch The standard reassuring warning given before a needle.
sheepish Showing embarrassment from shyness or shame, especially after doing something foolish.
shelf life The length of time a medicine remains stable and usable under specified storage...
shelf takedown An offering of securities drawn down from a previously effective shelf registration.
shell and core A building delivered with only its structure, envelope, and main services complete,...
shepherd To guide a group or initiative carefully through a process.
shibboleth A word, custom, or belief that identifies a person as belonging to a particular group,...
shielding Protective material used to reduce radiation reaching sensitive tissues or bystanders.
shift differential Extra pay granted to employees who work unsocial hours such as nights or weekends.
shifting use A use that operates to transfer an interest from one person to another on a stated event.
shill A person who promotes something while posing as an impartial enthusiast.
shockable rhythm A cardiac arrest rhythm, such as ventricular fibrillation, that can be treated with...
shop steward A union member elected to represent colleagues in a particular workplace.
shore up To support or strengthen something that is weak or likely to fail.
short-acting insulin An insulin preparation that acts quickly to cover the glucose rise from a meal.
short selling The practice of selling borrowed shares in the hope of buying them back later at a lower...
short-termism An excessive focus on immediate results at the expense of long-term value creation.
shortlist To select a small group of the strongest candidates from a larger applicant pool for...
shortness of breath A subjective feeling of not being able to breathe adequately, frequently a symptom of...
should-cost A ground-up estimate of what a part ought to cost, built from its materials, labor, and...
should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact A conventional closing formula inviting the recipient to seek clarification.
should you have any questions A formal, inverted conditional used to close an email by inviting further queries.
should you require any further information A formal conditional closing offering additional details if the recipient needs them.
shoulder dystocia An emergency in which the baby's shoulder becomes stuck behind the mother's pubic bone...
show The blood-stained mucus plug passed from the cervix as labour approaches.
showrooming The practice of inspecting goods in a shop before buying them more cheaply online.
showstopper A defect or problem so severe that it prevents release or continuation until resolved.
shrewd Showing sharp practical judgement and awareness of self-interest.
shrinkage The loss of inventory between receipt and sale, typically from theft, damage, or...
shrinkflation The practice of reducing product size while holding the price steady.
sialadenitis Inflammation of a salivary gland, which may be acute or chronic and of infective or...
sialolith A calcified concretion forming within a salivary gland or its duct.
sialorrhoea Excessive flow of saliva or its unintentional spillage from the mouth.
sibilance The recurrence of hissing s and sh sounds to create a soft or sinister effect.
sibilant Making or characterised by a soft hissing sound.
sick list The subset of patients flagged at handover as unstable or needing close overnight review.
side effect An unwanted effect of a medicine that occurs alongside its intended therapeutic action.
side-effect profile The overall pattern of unwanted effects associated with a particular medicine, considered...
side hustle Extra income earned outside your main job.
side letter A separate document varying or supplementing the main contract between the same parties.
sidecar A special-purpose vehicle letting outside investors share in an insurer's underwriting...
sideroblast An erythroid precursor containing iron-laden mitochondria, which when ringed around the...
sidestep To avoid direct competition by taking a different route to customers.
sideways relief The setting of trading losses against other income of the same year rather than only...
sigmoidoscopy Endoscopic examination limited to the rectum and sigmoid colon.
sign An objective feature of disease that the examiner can detect, as opposed to what the...
sign off To formally approve accounts or a set of figures as accurate and complete.
sign off on To give formal approval to a piece of work so it can proceed to the next stage.
signalling Conveying intentions to competitors or investors through visible strategic actions.
signatory A state that has signed a treaty.
significant impediment to effective competition The substantive test under the EU Merger Regulation for prohibiting a concentration, in...
signpost To guide the reader through a text using words and phrases that indicate its structure...
signposting The technique of telling the patient what you are about to do or ask next, so the...
silicosis A fibrotic lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust.
silo An isolated department or system that fails to share information with the rest of an...
siloed Isolated within a department and not sharing information across the organization.
similar fact evidence Evidence of other misconduct so strikingly connected to the charge that its probative...
simpatico Having a natural affinity or shared temperament that makes people get along easily.
simpliciter Simply and unconditionally; without qualification or added condition.
sincerity The quality of being genuine and free from pretence or deceit.
sinecure A paid position requiring little or no work.
single source of truth A single, authoritative data store or definition that everyone relies on, eliminating...
sinking fund A reserve into which an issuer sets aside money to redeem debt gradually before maturity.
sinoatrial Relating to the heart's natural pacemaker in the wall of the right atrium.
sinuous Moving in a smoothly curving, winding and supple manner.
sirocco A hot, dust-laden wind blowing from the Sahara across the Mediterranean.
sister ship Another vessel in the same beneficial ownership as the ship connected with a claim, which...
sisyphean Endless and ultimately futile, like hard, repeated labour.
situation The opening element of SBAR stating who the patient is and the immediate problem you are...
situational awareness A shared, up-to-date understanding among a team of what is happening and what might...
situationship A romantic connection that carefully avoids definition or commitment.
situs The place regarded in law as the location of the arbitration or of the property in...
six sigma A data-driven methodology for reducing defects and variation to near-perfect quality...
skein A flock of wild geese or swans in flight.
skeleton argument A concise written outline of the submissions a party intends to make at a hearing.
skew The pattern by which implied volatility differs across strike prices for the same expiry.
skewness The degree to which a distribution is asymmetric about its mean.
skimming Launching at a deliberately high price to harvest early adopters before lowering it.
skin integrity The state of the skin being intact and healthy without breaks, breakdown, or damage.
skin-to-skin The practice of placing the naked newborn directly on the mother's bare chest to promote...
skip-level Involving a manager and an employee two rungs apart, deliberately bypassing the boss in...
SKU A stock-keeping unit, the unique code identifying a specific product variant for...
skulduggery Underhand, dishonest, or unscrupulous behaviour.
skulk To move about stealthily or lie in hiding, especially with sinister intent.
skunkworks A small, autonomous team set apart from normal structures to pursue innovation quickly.
slack Spare time or capacity in a schedule that allows delay without knock-on impact.
slander Defamation expressed in a transient form, typically spoken words or gestures.
slander of title A false and malicious assertion disparaging a person's ownership of property, causing...
sliding scale An insulin dosing protocol in which the dose is adjusted according to the measured blood...
slink To move smoothly and quietly, as if ashamed or wishing to avoid notice.
slippage The difference between the expected execution price of a trade and the price actually...
slipped disc A condition in which the soft centre of a spinal disc pushes out and presses on a nerve.
slit lamp A microscope with a bright adjustable light beam used to examine the structures at the...
slither To move smoothly over a surface with a twisting, sliding motion.
slotting Assigning each item an optimal storage location in a warehouse to minimize travel and...
slough Dead, yellowish tissue in a wound bed that needs to be removed for healing to progress.
slowly changing dimension A dimensional attribute whose values evolve gradually and must be tracked so history is...
sludge Friction deliberately built into a process to discourage people from acting in their own...
slump A sharp, sustained fall in economic activity or prices.
smoothing The removal of short-term noise from data to reveal the underlying trend.
snagging The final sweep to identify and fix minor defects before a deliverable is formally...
Snellen chart A chart of letters in decreasing sizes used to test distance visual acuity.
so-what The clear implication or action a piece of analysis points to, as opposed to the raw...
sobriety The virtue of moderation, seriousness, and freedom from excess.
sobriquet A nickname or affectionate informal name.
socage A former feudal tenure of land held in return for agricultural or monetary services...
social history Information about the patient's lifestyle, occupation, home circumstances and habits such...
social proof The tendency to copy others' actions when deciding how to behave.
socialise To share an idea or recommendation informally with stakeholders in advance to build...
sockpuppet A fake online identity used to promote or defend something while feigning independence.
SOCRATES A mnemonic (Site, Onset, Character, Radiation, Associations, Timing, Exacerbating and...
sodality A fellowship or close association formed for a common purpose.
soft currency A currency whose value is unstable and not readily accepted internationally.
soft landing A slowdown in the economy that cools inflation without tipping the country into recession.
soft launch Hinting at a new partner online without actually revealing them.
soft tissue mobilisation The manual manipulation of muscle, fascia, and other soft structures to relieve tension...
sojourn A temporary stay in a place away from home.
sojourner A person residing in a country temporarily rather than permanently.
solatium A sum awarded for injured feelings, grief, or mental suffering rather than for measurable...
sole arbitrator A single arbitrator appointed to decide a dispute where the parties have not opted for a...
sole source Describing a component or service available from only one supplier, creating dependency...
solecism A grammatical mistake or a breach of good manners or etiquette.
solicit To ask for or try to obtain business, orders, or support from someone.
solicitation The inchoate offence of requesting or encouraging another to commit a crime.
solicitude Attentive care and concern for another person's wellbeing.
solipsism The philosophical view that only one's own mind can be known to exist.
solitude The state of being pleasantly alone.
solopreneur An entrepreneur who builds and runs a business entirely alone.
solus agreement An agreement tying a buyer to take supplies exclusively from one source.
solvency The state of being able to meet debts as they fall due.
solvent Having assets enough to pay all debts.
somatisation The expression of psychological distress through physical symptoms for which no adequate...
somatization The expression of psychological distress as physical bodily symptoms.
somatize To express psychological distress through physical symptoms.
somatostatin An inhibitory hormone that suppresses the release of growth hormone, insulin and glucagon.
somnolent Drowsy or sleepy, typically to a degree that impairs alertness during assessment.
sonder The realisation that every passer-by has a life as vivid as your own.
sonic branding The strategic use of distinctive sound and music to make a brand instantly recognizable.
sonography The use of high-frequency sound waves to generate images of soft tissues and organs.
sonority The quality of being deep, full and resonant in sound.
sonorous Deep, full and resonant in sound.
soothe To calm someone who is anxious or upset, or to ease a physical discomfort.
sophistry Clever but deliberately misleading reasoning.
soporific Tending to induce drowsiness or sleep; sleep-inducing.
sororal Relating to or characteristic of a sister; sisterly.
sortie A sudden attack made by troops emerging from a besieged position.
sotto voce In a quiet voice, as if not intended to be overheard.
sough To make a soft murmuring or sighing sound, as wind through trees.
soundbite A short, memorable extract of speech crafted for the media.
source control Any intervention that eliminates the focus of infection, such as draining an abscess or...
sourcing The proactive identification and approach of potential candidates before a vacancy is...
sovereign Relating to a national government as a borrower or issuer of debt.
sovereign immunity The doctrine shielding a State and its property from the jurisdiction and enforcement...
sovereignty The supreme authority of a state to govern itself and make binding law free from external...
spadework Hard preparatory work that lays the groundwork for later success.
span of control The number of subordinates a single manager directly oversees.
sparsity The condition of a dataset containing a high proportion of empty or zero values.
spasm A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle.
spasticity A velocity-dependent increase in muscle tone due to an upper motor neurone lesion.
spay To surgically remove the ovaries, and usually the uterus, of a female animal to prevent...
spearhead To lead the way in an initiative or campaign.
special category data Sensitive personal data, such as data revealing health, ethnicity, religious beliefs or...
special compensation A payment, exceptionally recoverable by a salvor who has prevented or minimised...
special damages Damages for specific, quantifiable financial losses actually incurred.
special resolution A decision of the members requiring a majority of at least seventy-five per cent of the...
specie Money in the form of coin, particularly precious-metal coin, as distinct from paper...
specific disclosure An order requiring a party to disclose particular documents or classes of document, or to...
specific issue order A court order that decides a particular question about how a child is to be brought up.
specific performance A court order requiring a party to carry out its contractual obligations.
specific restitution A remedy requiring the return of particular property to the person entitled to it.
specification The document filed with a patent application that describes the invention and sets out...
specimen A sample filed with a registry evidencing real-world use of a mark on goods or services.
specious Superficially convincing but actually flawed.
spectrophotometry A method that quantifies a substance by measuring how much light it absorbs at a given...
speculative Based on conjecture rather than proof, and so not recoverable as damages.
speculative attack A concerted wave of selling aimed at forcing a currency off its peg.
speculator A trader who willingly takes on risk in pursuit of profit from price movements.
speculum An instrument used to hold open a body cavity or opening to allow internal inspection.
spendthrift Of a trust provision that shields a beneficiary's interest from creditors and bars its...
spes successionis The mere hope of succeeding to property, which is not itself a present interest.
spherocytosis The presence of spherical, hyperchromic red cells lacking central pallor, seen in...
sphincterotomy The surgical or endoscopic incision of a sphincter to relieve obstruction or spasm.
spiculated Having fine radiating lines projecting from a margin, a feature that is suspicious for...
spiff A short-term cash incentive paid to reps for pushing a specific product or hitting a...
SPIKES A six-step protocol (Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Emotions, Strategy) for...
spillover The dynamic by which integration in one sector generates pressure to integrate in others.
spin A favourable slant put on information to influence public perception.
spin doctor A publicist who manages how events are portrayed to the public.
spin-off The separation of part of a company into an independent business whose shares go to...
spin-out A new independent company created out of a larger parent, often to commercialise a...
spirometry A lung-function test that measures the volume and rate of air a person can inhale and...
splenectomy The surgical removal of the spleen.
splenetic Bad-tempered, spiteful or peevishly irritable.
splenomegaly Abnormal enlargement of the spleen, in portal hypertension reflecting congestion of the...
splint A rigid support used to immobilise and protect an injured limb or joint.
split-off A separation in which shareholders exchange parent-company stock for shares in a divested...
split the difference To settle a disagreement by choosing an amount halfway between two competing figures.
spoilage The proportion of perishable goods that becomes unusable or unsellable before it can be...
spoliation The destruction or alteration of evidence relevant to litigation.
spongiosis Intercellular oedema within the epidermis that widens the spaces between keratinocytes,...
sponsor The senior client executive who owns the engagement, secures its funding and champions it...
sponsorship The formal undertaking by a person or employer to support a foreign national's...
spontaneous breathing trial A period of minimal ventilator support used to assess whether a patient is ready to be...
spoofing Placing orders one intends to cancel before execution to create a false impression of...
spoor The track or scent trail left by a wild animal.
spousal maintenance Regular payments made by one spouse to support the other after divorce or separation.
sprain An injury caused by the stretching or tearing of a ligament.
sprawl To sit or lie with the limbs spread out awkwardly or carelessly.
spread The difference between two prices, rates or yields, such as bid and offer.
springboard An unfair head start derived from misusing another's confidential information, which the...
springboard doctrine The rule that a misuser of confidential information gains no unfair head start and may be...
springing lien A security interest that activates only when a defined trigger, such as a leverage...
springing use A use that arises to confer an interest at a future date without cutting short any prior...
spurious False or fake, though appearing genuine.
sputum Mucus coughed up from the lower airways, whose colour and amount are assessed.
squall A sudden, violent gust of wind, often with rain, snow or sleet.
squeeze An argument trapping a patentee between invalidity and non-infringement, since any...
squeeze-out The compulsory buying out of minority shareholders after a takeover crosses a threshold.
squib A short, sharp piece of satirical writing or speech.
SSNIP test The hypothetical monopolist test that defines a market by asking whether a small but...
stabilisation Post-issue intervention by an underwriter to support the price of newly issued securities.
stabilise To bring a patient's vital functions under control so they are safe to move or treat...
stabilization Underwriter bidding to support a new issue's market price during distribution, permitted...
stable Of a patient, not getting better or worse; steady.
staccato Made up of short, sharp, detached sounds or notes.
stack ranking Forcing managers to rate staff against one another on a fixed distribution.
staff morale The general level of confidence, satisfaction, and enthusiasm among a workforce.
stage-gate A formal decision point between phases where a project must justify continued funding...
stagflation A situation of stagnant growth and high unemployment combined with persistent inflation.
staggered board A board split into classes with only a fraction standing for election each year, slowing...
staggering So great or extreme as to be shocking or hard to believe.
staging The classification of a cancer's extent according to tumour size and spread.
stagnant Showing little or no growth or development over an extended period.
stagnation A prolonged period of little or no growth or development.
stakeholder A person or group with a legitimate interest in a company's conduct beyond its...
stakeholder buy-in The active support and commitment of stakeholders to a project's goals and approach.
stakeholder management The practice of identifying and actively managing the expectations and interests of...
stalemate A deadlock in which neither party can advance or force a resolution.
stalking horse An initial bidder whose agreed offer sets a floor price and bid protections against which...
stalking horse bid An initial, agreed offer that sets the price floor in a distressed auction and flushes...
stalwart Loyal, reliable, and unwavering, especially in support or struggle.
stamp duty A tax charged on certain documents or transactions, notably transfers of land and,...
stan To support a person or thing with obsessive enthusiasm.
stance phase The part of the gait cycle in which the foot is in contact with the ground and bearing...
stand firm To refuse to change your position despite pressure to concede.
standalone selling price The price at which an entity would sell a promised good or service separately to a...
standard contractual clauses Model data protection clauses adopted by the Commission that provide appropriate...
standard disclosure The default disclosure obligation requiring a party to disclose the documents on which it...
standard-essential Describing a patent that must necessarily be used to comply with an industry standard.
standard of care The degree of caution and prudence the law requires of a person in a given situation.
standard of proof The degree of certainty a party must reach to discharge its burden, whether the balance...
standard operating procedure A documented set of step-by-step instructions for carrying out a routine task...
standardise To make a process consistent by having everyone follow the same agreed format.
standardised uptake value A semiquantitative measure of radiotracer uptake on PET used to characterise and follow...
standing A party's legal entitlement to bring proceedings before a court.
standstill An undertaking not to buy more shares or launch a bid for an agreed period.
standstill agreement A pact barring a party from acquiring further shares or launching a bid for a defined...
standstill obligation The duty not to implement a notifiable concentration before it has been cleared, breach...
standup A brief daily meeting where a team synchronises on progress, plans and blockers.
stapedectomy The surgical removal of the fixed stapes and its replacement with a prosthesis to restore...
staple financing A pre-arranged debt package the seller's bank offers to any buyer to speed up and firm up...
stare decisis The principle that courts should stand by settled precedent when deciding like cases.
stat Immediately and without delay, from the Latin statim, used for orders that must be...
stat dose A single dose of a medicine to be given immediately.
State aid An advantage granted by a Member State through State resources that is selective and...
statecraft The skilful management of state affairs.
stateless Not recognised as a national by any state under the operation of its law.
statelessness The condition of not being recognised as a national by any state under the operation of...
statement of case A formal court document such as a claim, defence or reply that sets out a party's...
statement of claim The claimant's principal written pleading setting out the facts, legal grounds, and...
statement of defence The respondent's pleading answering the statement of claim and raising any defences or...
statement of objections The formal document by which the European Commission sets out its preliminary competition...
statement of truth A signed declaration verifying that the maker believes the facts stated in a document to...
statement of work The contractual document that defines a consulting engagement's scope, deliverables,...
statements of case The formal documents in which the parties set out their respective cases, comprising the...
statesmanship Skill and wisdom in managing complex affairs and reconciling competing interests.
statin A drug that lowers cholesterol levels in the blood to reduce the risk of heart attack and...
stationarity The property of a time series whose statistical characteristics, such as mean and...
statistical power The probability that a test will detect a real effect of a given size if one genuinely...
statistical significance The finding that an observed result is unlikely to have arisen by random chance alone,...
statuesque Tall, dignified and gracefully proportioned, like a classical statue.
status epilepticus A medical emergency in which a seizure lasts more than five minutes or seizures recur...
status quo bias An irrational preference for the current state of affairs over any change.
status symbol A possession taken to indicate a person's wealth or social standing.
status update A short report on where a task or project currently stands against its plan.
statute A written law passed by a legislature.
statute-barred Describing a claim that can no longer be pursued because the limitation period has...
statutory Required, permitted, or established by law or official regulation.
statutory accounts The formal annual financial statements a company is legally required to prepare and file.
statutory demand A formal written demand for payment of a debt, non-compliance with which can found...
statutory instrument The most common form of delegated legislation, made by a minister under statutory...
staunch Very loyal and committed in attitude or support.
stay A court order suspending litigation so that the dispute may proceed to arbitration.
stay of proceedings A ruling that halts a legal action, either temporarily or permanently.
steadfast Firmly loyal and unwavering in resolve or commitment.
steady state The stable operational phase a project hands into once change is complete and normal...
steal someone's thunder To take attention or praise away from someone by doing or saying what they intended to do...
steamroll To overpower opposition and force one's terms through.
steatorrhoea The presence of excess fat in the stools, indicating fat malabsorption.
steepen Of a yield curve, to widen the gap between short-term and long-term rates.
steepener A position constructed to profit when the yield curve steepens.
steer To guide the direction or progress of a project or organisation.
steering committee The senior client group that provides direction, approves key decisions and unblocks a...
stenosis An abnormal narrowing of a valve orifice or of a blood vessel.
stent A small mesh tube inserted into a narrowed artery to hold it open and restore blood flow.
stentorian Of a voice, extremely loud and powerful.
step down To reduce treatment to a lower dose or milder drug once the condition is well controlled.
step-in rights A contractual entitlement of a funder or third party to assume a defaulting party's role...
step-up To increase treatment to a stronger drug or higher dose when the current regimen is...
step-up in basis The resetting of an inherited asset's tax cost to its market value at death, erasing the...
stereopsis The perception of depth that arises when the brain combines the slightly different images...
stereotypy A repetitive, purposeless movement or utterance that is carried out in a uniform,...
sterilization Central-bank action that offsets the domestic money-supply impact of its currency...
sternotomy A surgical incision through the breastbone to access the chest cavity.
stevedoring The work of loading and unloading cargo from ships at a port.
stewardship The responsible oversight and safeguarding of a company's affairs on behalf of others.
stickiness The quality of a product that keeps users coming back over time.
sticking point A specific issue that keeps stalling agreement.
stiffness Difficulty and reduced ease in moving a joint or muscle.
stimulus Government spending or tax measures intended to boost economic activity.
stipend A fixed regular allowance paid to someone, especially a trainee or intern, to cover...
stipulate To state a specific requirement as part of an agreement or instruction.
stipulation A specific requirement or condition stated as part of an agreement.
stochastic Governed by random probability rather than by fixed, predictable rules.
stockout A situation in which an item is completely unavailable because inventory has run to zero.
stoical Enduring pain or difficulty without showing feelings or complaining.
stoicism The endurance of hardship or pain without complaint or visible emotion.
stoma A surgically created opening of the bowel onto the abdominal wall to divert faecal output.
stonewall To obstruct or delay by refusing to answer questions or cooperate.
stopgap A temporary measure adopted until a permanent solution is found.
storage limitation The principle that personal data must be kept in identifiable form for no longer than is...
storyline The logical narrative thread that carries a client presentation from problem through...
stowage The arrangement of cargo within a vessel or container to make best use of space and...
strabismus A misalignment of the eyes in which they do not point in the same direction.
straddle An options strategy of holding a call and a put at the same strike to profit from large...
straddling An attempt to pursue two incompatible strategies at once, usually leaving a firm...
straight-line Allocating an equal charge to each period of an asset's life.
strain An injury caused by the overstretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon.
stranded asset An asset that has lost economic value well before the end of its expected life, often due...
strangle An options strategy using an out-of-the-money call and put to profit cheaply from a large...
strangury The slow, painful passage of urine drop by drop, accompanied by a distressing spasm of...
stratagem A carefully devised scheme or trick for outmanoeuvring an opponent.
strategic drift The gradual, often unnoticed misalignment between a company's strategy and its changing...
strategic fit The degree to which an acquisition, partnership, or initiative aligns with a company's...
strategic group A cluster of firms within an industry pursuing similar strategies along the same...
strategic imperative An objective a company must achieve to succeed or survive in its market.
stratification The division of a population into sub-groups so that each can be tested at an appropriate...
straw man A misrepresented or oversimplified version of an opponent's position, set up to be easily...
stray remarks doctrine The principle that isolated comments remote from the challenged decision carry little...
streamline To simplify a process or organisation so that it operates more efficiently.
stress-test To gauge how a portfolio would fare under severe but plausible adverse scenarios.
stretch goal A deliberately ambitious target set beyond normal expectations to drive higher...
strict input and output The careful measurement and recording of everything a patient takes in and passes out.
strict liability Liability that arises without any need to prove fault or negligence on the defendant's...
stricture An abnormal narrowing of a tubular structure such as the oesophagus, bile duct or bowel.
strident Loud and harsh in a way that is grating on the ear.
stridor A harsh, high-pitched respiratory sound caused by turbulent airflow through a narrowed...
stridulous Making a harsh, grating or shrill sound.
strike out To order the deletion of a statement of case, in whole or in part, where it discloses no...
strikebreaker A person hired or induced to work in place of employees who are on strike.
stringent Strict and precisely controlled, allowing little deviation.
stroke A sudden loss of brain function caused by an interruption of the blood supply to part of...
strong-arm To use force or intimidation to compel agreement.
stronghold A market or segment where a company holds a firmly dominant position.
stub equity The thin slice of publicly held shares left outstanding after a leveraged buyout or...
stub period The partial year between a valuation date and the next full fiscal year-end.
stupendous So great or astonishing as to overwhelm the mind.
stupor A state of near-unconsciousness with dulled responsiveness.
stuporous In a state of near-unconsciousness with only minimal responsiveness to vigorous...
stylet A rigid wire placed inside a tracheal tube to stiffen and shape it for insertion.
sub judice Currently under judicial consideration and therefore not open to public comment.
sub-participation An arrangement by which a lender transfers the economic risk and return of its loan to a...
sub-processor A third party engaged by a processor to carry out specific processing activities on the...
sub rosa In confidence or secrecy; privately and off the record.
sub silentio Silently, deciding or passing over a point without express discussion.
subaltern A person or group holding a subordinate position, especially one marginalised by the...
subarachnoid Relating to the space beneath the arachnoid membrane where cerebrospinal fluid circulates.
subarachnoid block A regional technique in which local anaesthetic is injected into the cerebrospinal fluid...
subarachnoid haemorrhage Bleeding into the space between the brain and the membrane that covers it, classically...
subconjunctival haemorrhage A bright red patch on the white of the eye caused by a small bleed under the conjunctiva,...
subcontract To hire an outside party to carry out part of a job under an existing contract.
subcontractor A person or firm engaged by a main contractor to perform part of the work under a...
subcutaneous Given by injection into the fatty tissue just beneath the skin.
subcuticular Situated or placed just beneath the epidermis, especially of a continuous suture that...
subinfeudation The historical practice by which a feudal tenant granted part of his land to a...
subject to Conditional upon or qualified by another provision, which takes priority in the event of...
subject to contract A label on negotiations or correspondence signalling that no binding agreement exists...
subjective Based on personal impressions, feelings or the patient's own report rather than...
subjectivity A condition attached to a quote or cover that must be cleared before the risk is firmly...
subjugate To bring a people or country under domination by conquest.
subledger A subsidiary record that supports and provides the detail behind a control account in the...
sublet To grant a lease of part or all of premises to another party while retaining the head...
sublicence A licence granted by a licensee to a further party, deriving from the head licence.
sublimation A mature defence mechanism by which unacceptable impulses are unconsciously channelled...
sublime Of such beauty or scale as to inspire awe.
sublingual Placed or absorbed under the tongue.
sublingual nitrate A fast-acting medicine placed under the tongue to relieve angina by widening the coronary...
subluxation A partial or incomplete dislocation in which the joint surfaces remain in some contact.
submission An agreement to refer an existing dispute to arbitration, or the act of doing so.
submission agreement A standalone agreement to arbitrate an existing dispute, entered into after the dispute...
submit to the jurisdiction To agree that a specified court has authority to hear and determine disputes arising...
suboptimisation The pursuit of one unit's goals in a way that damages the interests of the wider...
subordinate A person under the authority or control of another within an organisation.
subordinated Describing debt that ranks behind other obligations for repayment in the event of default...
subordination The contractual ranking of one creditor's claim behind that of another, so the junior...
suborn To induce a person, especially by bribery, to commit an unlawful act such as giving false...
subornation The crime of inducing another person to commit perjury or another offense.
subpoena A writ ordering a person to attend court.
subpoena duces tecum A court order compelling a person to attend and to bring specified documents or things...
subprime Relating to lending to borrowers with poor credit at higher interest rates.
subrogation The substitution of one party for another whose claim they have satisfied, succeeding to...
subscriber A person who agrees in the founding documents to take shares in a company.
subsequently Afterwards; at a later time in a sequence of events.
subside To become less intense, severe, or noticeable over time.
subsidence The downward movement of the ground beneath a building, causing structural cracking and...
subsidiarisation The reorganisation of a business into legally distinct subsidiary companies.
subsidiarity The principle that the Union acts only where the objectives of proposed action cannot be...
subsidiary A company controlled by another, larger company.
subsidy Money paid by a government to support an industry or lower a price.
subsistence The existence of a copyright in a work as a matter of law, given that the qualifying...
substance over form The principle that a transaction is taxed according to its true commercial reality rather...
substantiate To provide evidence that proves the truth or validity of a claim.
substantive Relating to audit procedures designed to detect material misstatements in account...
substantive consolidation The pooling of the assets and liabilities of separate affiliated debtors into a single...
substantive hearing The full hearing at which the merits of a judicial review claim are argued and determined.
substitutability The degree to which one good or input can replace another while meeting the same need.
substituted service Service of court documents by an alternative method permitted where the ordinary method...
subsume To include or absorb a particular case under a more general principle or category.
subtalar Relating to the joint beneath the ankle bone that allows the foot to tilt inwards and...
subterfuge A deceptive device or stratagem used to conceal or evade.
success fee The percentage uplift a lawyer may charge on winning a case funded by a conditional fee...
succession The planned process of identifying and preparing future leaders for key roles.
succession planning The work of identifying and grooming people to fill key roles when they fall vacant.
successor liability An acquirer's exposure to the debts and obligations of the business it buys, despite an...
successors and assigns The formula binding not only the parties but those who later step into their positions.
succinct Expressed clearly and in very few words.
such Of the kind or the particular one already mentioned, used to refer back precisely without...
sudden stop An abrupt halt in foreign capital inflows that forces a wrenching external adjustment.
sufficiency The requirement that a patent's disclosure be complete enough for a skilled person to...
sufficient interest The threshold connection to a decision that a claimant must show to have standing to seek...
suffrage The right to vote in political elections.
sugammadex A modified cyclodextrin that encapsulates aminosteroid relaxants, rapidly reversing...
sugar-coat To soften unwelcome feedback so much that its real message is lost.
suggestive Describing a mark that alludes to a characteristic of the goods yet requires imagination...
sui generis Of its own unique kind and not fitting into any existing category.
sui generis right A bespoke statutory right, such as the database right, created outside the classical IP...
sui juris Having full legal capacity to manage one's own affairs and to bind oneself.
suicidal ideation Thoughts of ending one's own life, ranging from fleeting wishes to detailed planning.
suicidal intent A person's determination or resolve to act on thoughts of ending their life.
suicidality The overall tendency towards suicidal thoughts, plans or behaviours.
suitor A man who courts or seeks to marry a particular woman.
sulphonylurea A class of oral drugs that lower glucose by stimulating insulin secretion from the...
sultry Hot and oppressively humid.
sum-of-the-parts A valuation approach that values each of a company's divisions separately and adds them...
summarise To give a brief account of the main points of something.
summary assessment The court's immediate quantification of costs at the end of a hearing rather than by a...
summary dismissal Dismissal of an employee without notice or pay in lieu, justified only by gross...
summary judgment A judgment given without a full trial where the court is satisfied that a claim or...
summary offence A less serious criminal offence that is tried summarily in the magistrates' court without...
summation A lawyer's closing address summarising the evidence and argument to the tribunal.
summing-up A judge's review of the evidence and directions on the law given to the jury before they...
summons An order to appear before a court.
sumptuous Splendid and costly-looking, giving an impression of rich luxury.
sundowning A worsening of confusion, agitation and restlessness that occurs in the late afternoon...
sundry Describing miscellaneous items of minor individual value that are grouped together.
sunk Already incurred and irrecoverable, and therefore irrelevant to future decisions.
sunk-cost fallacy The error of persisting with an endeavour because of resources already spent rather than...
sunset To retire a product or system on a planned schedule, winding down support in an orderly...
sunset clause A provision setting a date on which a right or obligation automatically expires.
superannuated Outdated or obsolete through age; retired on account of age.
superannuation A pension scheme funded by regular contributions from the employer and employee during...
superantigen A microbial protein that provokes massive, non-specific T-cell activation and cytokine...
supercilious Behaving with haughty disdain, as though superior to everyone around.
superfluous More than is needed or wanted; unnecessary.
superinfection A second infection superimposed on an existing one, often after antimicrobial therapy.
supermajority A required voting threshold greater than a simple majority, often used to amend...
supernatant The clear liquid lying above sediment or cells after a sample has been centrifuged or...
supernormal Describing profit above the minimum needed to keep a firm in its industry.
supernumerary Denoting a tooth present in excess of the normal complement of the dentition.
supersede To replace something previously in use, such as an earlier plan or letter.
supersedeas A writ or order staying the enforcement of a judgment pending the outcome of an appeal.
supervenience A relation in which one set of properties depends on and is determined by another...
supervening Describing a later event that intervenes so as to break the chain of causation.
supervise To observe and direct the work of others to ensure it is done correctly.
supervisor The insolvency practitioner responsible for implementing and monitoring a voluntary...
supervisory authority An independent public body responsible for monitoring and enforcing the application of...
supervisory jurisdiction The inherent authority of a superior court to police the legality of decisions taken by...
supination Rotation of the forearm so that the palm faces upward or forward.
supine Lying face upwards on the back.
supplant To take the place of a competitor, superseding it.
supplementation The provision of additional nutrients to correct or prevent a deficiency.
supply and demand The relationship between how much of a good is available and how much buyers want, which...
supply chain The full network of organisations, people, and activities involved in producing a product...
suppress To prevent evidence from being disclosed or admitted at trial.
suppression The brain's active ignoring of the image from one eye to avoid double vision.
suppuration The formation or discharge of pus in response to infection.
supraclavicular Located above the collarbone.
supraglottic Situated above the level of the vocal folds within the larynx.
supraglottic airway An airway device that sits above the vocal cords and forms a seal around the laryngeal...
supranational Transcending national authority, with powers exercised above the level of individual...
supranationalism The doctrine or practice of decision-making by institutions standing above the Member...
supremacy The doctrine that Union law prevails over any conflicting provision of national law.
supremacy clause A constitutional provision establishing that federal law prevails over conflicting state...
surcharge An additional charge or tax imposed on top of an existing liability.
surety A person who undertakes responsibility for another's appearance at court or fulfilment of...
suretyship An undertaking to answer for another person's debt or default.
surfactant A lipoprotein secreted by alveolar cells that lowers surface tension and prevents...
surfeit An excessive amount of something, especially of food or drink.
surgical site infection An infection occurring in the part of the body where surgery took place, ranging from...
surplus An amount left over when income exceeds spending.
surplusage Words in a document treated as redundant and given no effect in interpretation.
surrebuttal Evidence or argument offered to answer the opponent's rebuttal.
surrebutter In old common-law pleading, the plaintiff's reply to the defendant's rebutter.
surrejoinder A claimant's further pleading in answer to the defendant's rejoinder.
surrender The yielding up of a lease by the tenant to the landlord before its natural expiry, so...
surreptitious Done quietly and stealthily to avoid being noticed.
surrogate A person authorised to make healthcare decisions on behalf of someone who lacks capacity.
surround sound marketing Saturating a target's channels so a message reaches them from many directions at once.
surtax An additional tax levied on top of an existing one, usually on higher amounts.
surveillance Close and continued observation or monitoring of a patient or condition over time.
survival analysis A set of methods for modeling the time until an event occurs, accounting for cases that...
survive termination To remain in force and enforceable after the contract has otherwise come to an end.
survivor syndrome The guilt, anxiety, and disengagement felt by the employees who remain after rounds of...
survivorship The automatic passing of a joint owner's share to the surviving co-owners on death.
survivorship bias The error of drawing conclusions only from cases that made it through a process while...
sus Suspicious; not quite to be trusted.
susceptibility The degree to which a microorganism is inhibited by an antimicrobial agent, as measured...
suspend on full pay To remove an employee from active duties while an investigation proceeds, without loss of...
suspended sentence A custodial sentence that does not take effect unless the offender commits a further...
sustainable growth Expansion that a company can maintain over the long term without straining its resources...
susurration A soft murmuring or rustling.
susurrus A soft whispering or rustling sound.
suture A stitch, or set of stitches, closing a wound.
suxamethonium A depolarising neuromuscular blocker producing rapid, short-lived paralysis, classically...
suzerainty The dominance or supremacy of one state or ruler over a subordinate but partly...
svelte Slender and elegant in an attractive, well-proportioned way.
swain A young male lover or admirer, especially a rustic one (literary).
swallow assessment An evaluation of a patient's ability to swallow safely without the risk of food or fluid...
swap line An arrangement between central banks to exchange currencies in order to provide liquidity.
swaption An option granting the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an interest-rate swap.
sway To influence someone's opinions or decisions.
sweat of the brow The discredited theory that sheer labour and expense in compiling a work, absent any...
sweeten the deal To make an offer more attractive by adding something of value.
sweetener An extra inducement thrown in to make an offer more appealing.
sweetheart contract A collusive agreement between an employer and union that favours their interests over the...
swelling An enlargement of a body part caused by inflammation or a build-up of fluid.
swimlane A horizontal or vertical band in a process diagram that groups activities by the role...
swing phase The part of the gait cycle in which the foot is off the ground and advancing forward.
swings and roundabouts A situation in which the advantages and disadvantages balance each other out, so it makes...
sycophant A person who flatters someone powerful in order to gain advantage.
sycophantic Servilely flattering the powerful in order to gain advantage.
syllogism A form of deductive reasoning in which a conclusion follows from two premises.
sylvan Of, in or characteristic of woods and forests.
symbiotic Involving a mutually beneficial relationship between two parties.
symblepharon An adhesion between the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva binding the eyelid to the...
sympatholytic Acting to oppose or block the effects of the sympathetic nervous system.
sympathomimetic Producing effects that mimic those of stimulating the sympathetic nervous system.
symphysis A slightly movable cartilaginous joint in which the bones are joined by fibrocartilage.
symptom A change in the body or its functioning that the patient notices and reports.
synaesthesia A blending of the senses in which one kind of stimulus involuntarily evokes another, such...
synallagmatic Of a contract in which each party undertakes mutual, reciprocal obligations.
sync up To meet briefly with someone to share updates and coordinate work.
synchronise To cause activities or processes to happen at the same time or in step.
syncope A temporary loss of consciousness; fainting.
syncretism The blending of different, sometimes contradictory, beliefs or philosophical systems into...
syncytium A multinucleate mass of fused cells, often formed during certain viral infections.
syndesmosis A fibrous joint in which two bones are united by an interosseous ligament or membrane.
syndicalism A movement seeking to place industry under the control of workers' unions, often through...
syndicate The group of lenders that together provides a single loan to a borrower on common terms...
syndication The arrangement of a large loan provided jointly by a group of lenders sharing the risk.
synecdoche A figure in which a part stands for the whole, or the whole for a part.
synechia An adhesion binding the iris to adjacent structures, either the lens or the cornea.
synergies The cost savings or revenue gains expected to arise from combining two businesses that...
synergism A combined effect of two or more drugs that exceeds the sum of their individual effects.
synergistic Producing a combined effect greater than the sum of the separate effects.
synergy Combined effect greater than the sum of parts.
synovitis Inflammation of the synovial membrane lining a joint, typically producing swelling,...
synthesis The combination of separate ideas, findings, or elements into a single coherent whole.
syringomyelia A disorder in which a fluid-filled cavity forms within the spinal cord, classically...
systematise To arrange something into an orderly, repeatable system.
systemic Affecting an entire market or system rather than a single, isolated participant.
systemic risk The danger that one failure cascades to bring down an entire market or system.
systems review A structured series of questions covering each body system to uncover symptoms the...
systole The phase of the cardiac cycle in which the ventricles contract and eject blood.

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