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sangfroid n. (sahn FWAH) composure, especially in unnerving situations. Even when asked to deliver an impromptu speech before five hundred people, Sally maintained her sangfroid and appeared completely unruffled.

sanguine adj. (SAN gwin) cheerful and optimistic. Also ruddy in complexion. For a woman who had suffered great personal adversity, she was remarkably sanguine.

sardonic adj. (sar DON ik) bitterly mocking or sar­castic. Any more sardonic remarks like that and you'll be asked to leave the room.

satirical adj. (suh TEER uh kul) lampooning; ridi­culing. John's satirical play made a laughingstock out of the president of the United States.

savoir faire n. (SAV war FAIR) great social exper­tise and ability. To qualify as an international diplo­mat, you must first and foremost have great savoir faire.

scapegoat n. (SKAYP GOHT) one who is given the blame for the actions of others. In truth, nearly every­one on the team had a hand in losing the game, but the shortstop was made the scapegoat for making an error in the ninth inning.

schism n. (SIZ um) a separation in a group, espe­cially due to a disagreement. A schism has formed in the church over homosexual rights.

scintillating adj. (SIN til ayt ing) sparkling; twin­kling. The diamonds were absolutely scintillating under the jeweler's light.

scrupulous adj. (SKROOP yuh lus) having mor­als and ethics; principled. When it came to filing his taxes, he accounted for every penny and was abso­lutely scrupulous in his deductions.

scrutinize vb. (SKROO tuh nize) to look over closely. The teacher will scrutinize your papers for neatness and grammar, so be careful.

secede vb. (si SEED) to withdraw or break away from a group. The northern portion of our state would like to secede from the southern portion, due to vast philosophical differences.

secular adj. (SEK yuh lur) unrelated to religion or spiritual matters. Not every church takes the secular viewpoint that humans evolved from apes; some still hold to the story of Adam and Eve.

sedentary adj. (SED un tair ee) unmoving; inactive. Couch potatoes with sedentary lifestyles can expect to gain weight very quickly.

semantics n. (suh MAN tiks) that which deals with words and their meanings. Whether the problem is black and white or falls into a gray area isn't important; let's argue about solutions, not semantics.

seminal adj. (SEM uh nul) originating; the first. The launching of Sputnik was the seminal event in usher­ing in the satellite age.