Part 17

Sa*ga"cious (?), a. [L. sagax, sagacis, akin to sagire to perceive quickly or keenly, and probably to E. seek. See Seek, and cf. Presage.] 1. Of quick sense perceptions; keen-scented; skilled in following a trail.

Sagacious of his quarry from so far.

Milton.

2. Hence, of quick intellectual perceptions; of keen penetration and judgment; discerning and judicious; knowing; far-sighted; shrewd; sage; wise; as, a sagacious man; a sagacious remark.

Instinct . . . makes them, many times, sagacious above our apprehension.

Dr. H. More.

Only sagacious heads light on these observations, and reduce them into general propositions.

Locke.

Syn. -- See Shrewd.

-- Sa*ga"cious*ly, adv. -- Sa*ga"cious*ness, n.

Sa*gac"i*ty (?), n. [L. sagacitas. See Sagacious.] The quality of being sagacious; quickness or acuteness of sense perceptions; keenness of discernment or penetration with soundness of judgment; shrewdness.

Some [brutes] show that nice sagacity of smell.

Cowper.

Natural sagacity improved by generous education.

V. Knox.

Syn. -- Penetration; shrewdness; judiciousness. -- Sagacity, Penetration. Penetration enables us to enter into the depths of an abstruse subject, to detect motives, plans, etc. Sagacity adds to penetration a keen, practical judgment, which enables one to guard against the designs of others, and to turn everything to the best possible advantage.

Sag"a*more (?), n. 1. [Cf. Sachem.] The head of a tribe among the American Indians; a chief; -- generally used as synonymous with sachem, but some writters distinguished between them, making the sachem a chief of the first rank, and a sagamore one of the second rank. "Be it sagamore, sachem, or powwow." Longfellow.

2. A juice used in medicine. [Obs.] Johnson.

Sag"a*pen (?), n. Sagapenum.

||Sag`a*pe"num (?), n. [L. sagapenon, sacopenium, Gr. &?;: cf. F. ||sagapin, gomme sagapin, sagapénum, Ar. sikbnaj, Per. sakbnah, ||sikbnah.] (Med.) A fetid gum resin obtained from a species of Ferula. ||It has been used in hysteria, etc., but is now seldom met with. U. S. ||Disp.

Sag"a*thy (?), n. [F. sagatis: cf. Sp. sagatí, saetí.] A mixed woven fabric of silk and cotton, or silk and wool; sayette; also, a light woolen fabric.

Sage (?), n. [OE. sauge, F. sauge, L. salvia, from salvus saved, in allusion to its reputed healing virtues. See Safe.] (Bot.) (a) A suffruticose labiate plant (Salvia officinalis) with grayish green foliage, much used in flavoring meats, etc. The name is often extended to the whole genus, of which many species are cultivated for ornament, as the scarlet sage, and Mexican red and blue sage. (b) The sagebrush.

Meadow sage (Bot.), a blue-flowered species of Salvia (S. pratensis) growing in meadows in Europe. -- Sage cheese, cheese flavored with sage, and colored green by the juice of leaves of spinach and other plants which are added to the milk. -- Sage cock (Zoöl.), the male of the sage grouse; in a more general sense, the specific name of the sage grouse. -- Sage green, of a dull grayish green color, like the leaves of garden sage. -- Sage grouse (Zoöl.), a very large American grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), native of the dry sagebrush plains of Western North America. Called also cock of the plains. The male is called sage cock, and the female sage hen. -- Sage hare, or Sage rabbit (Zoöl.), a species of hare (Lepus Nuttalli, or artemisia) which inhabits the arid regions of Western North America and lives among sagebrush. By recent writers it is considered to be merely a variety of the common cottontail, or wood rabbit. -- Sage hen (Zoöl.), the female of the sage grouse. -- Sage sparrow (Zoöl.), a small sparrow (Amphispiza Belli, var. Nevadensis) which inhabits the dry plains of the Rocky Mountain region, living among sagebrush. -- Sage thrasher (Zoöl.), a singing bird (Oroscoptes montanus) which inhabits the sagebrush plains of Western North America. -- Sage willow (Bot.), a species of willow (Salix tristis) forming a low bush with nearly sessile grayish green leaves.

Sage (?), a. [Compar. Sager (?); superl. Sagest.] [F., fr. L. sapius (only in nesapius unwise, foolish), fr. sapere to be wise; perhaps akin to E. sap. Cf. Savor, Sapient, Insipid.] 1. Having nice discernment and powers of judging; prudent; grave; sagacious.

All you sage counselors, hence!

Shak.

2. Proceeding from wisdom; well judged; shrewd; well adapted to the purpose.

Commanders, who, cloaking their fear under show of sage advice, counseled the general to retreat.