Part 463

SOLDIERY. Body of military men; soldiers collectively. Soldiers are properly the land forces of a nation or state. It is in the power of the legislature to fix the establishment according to the exigency of the times.

SOLDURIERS, Fr. A term anciently used among the French, to signify those persons who attached themselves to some particular general or military knight, whose fortunes they followed, in consequence of being paid and supported by him.

SOLEIL, Fr. Sun.

SOLEIL fixe, Fr. An artificial fire-work, so disposed, that when it takes fire, it emits a brilliant light from a fixed centre, and resembles the sun at mid day.

SOLEIL tournant et courant sur une corde, Fr. An artificial fire-work made in the shape of the sun, which is so contrived, that it moves in full illumination, either backward or forward, along a rope.

SOLEIL montant, Fr. An artificial fire-work, so called from its ascending in full illumination, and scattering fire in various directions by a desultory movement. It is likewise called tourbillon de feu; a whirlwind of fire.

SOLEIL tournant et girandole, Fr. An artificial fire-work, which, when set fire to, resembles a sun moving round its axis, and exhibiting the figure of a girandole.

SOLID, (Solide, Fr.) that body which has all the geometrical dimensions.

SOLID Bastion. See FORTIFICATION.

SOLIDAIRE, Fr. Consolidated.--An old French legal term, but now generally used to signify a concentration of good qualities, &c. Thus the French convention declared--Que les armées étoient solidaires de gloire; that the armies had consolidated their glory; meaning thereby, that the victories of one part of the army had been added to the account of the rest.

SOLIDITY, (Solidite, Fr.) Firmness; density; compactness.

SOLIVE, Fr. A joist.

SOLIVE likewise signifies a measure in carpentry. It is supposed to be equal to three cubic feet. So that the solive in France is to the measure of wood-work, what the cubic toise is to the measure of earth, or brick-work. The solive is divided into six French feet which are called pieds de solive. The foot into 12 inches, called pouces de solive; and the inch into 12 lines, which are called lignes de solive. In order to form a correct idea of the solive, with regard to all parts or proportions, it must be considered as a parallelepipede, whose base is a rectangle containing 12 inches in breadth, to six in height, and a toise in length, the solive being equal to 3 cubic feet.

SOLIVEAU, Fr. A small joist; a rafter.

SOLSTICE, (Solstice, Fr.) The point beyond which the sun does not go; the tropical point, the point at which the day is longest in summer, or shortest in winter. It is taken of itself commonly for the summer solstice.

The Summer SOLSTICE, (le Solstice d’ete, Fr.) Is when the sun is in the tropic of cancer, and gives us the longest day.

The Winter SOLSTICE, is when the sun is in the tropic of capricorn, and gives us the shortest day. There is not any solstice under the equator, there being, in that quarter, without variation, equal day and equal night.

SOLUTION, (Solution, Fr.) Resolution of a doubt; removal of any intellectual difficulty.

SOMACHE, Fr. Brackish, salt. The mixture of sea and river water is so called, as eau somache.

SOME-war, Ind. Monday.

SOMMERS, in an ammunition waggon, are the upper sides, supported by the staves entered into them with one of their ends, and the other into the side pieces.

SOMMIER d’un Port levis, Fr. See SEUIL DE PONT LEVIS.

SONAILLER, Fr. A term used among the drivers of mules, to signify the leading animal that has a bell tied to his neck, which they call sonaille.

SONDE, Fr. Sounding lead, probe, any instrument used to ascertain the nature of soil, &c.

SONDER, Fr. To sound, to throw out the lead.

SONNANT, Fr. A participle which is frequently used by the French, to express a specific period of time, or the nature of any thing.

A five heures SONNANTES, Fr. At five o’clock precisely, or as the clock strikes five.

Argent SONNANT, Fr. Hard cash. This term was in familiar use at the commencement of the French revolution, when it was found expedient to pay a select body of troops, called the gendarmes, in ready money, whilst the aggregate of the nation took paper currency or assignats.