Part 775

Dryden.

Steerage passenger, a passenger who takes passage in the steerage of a vessel.

Steer"age*way` (?), n. (Naut.) A rate of motion through the water sufficient to render a vessel governable by the helm.

Steer"er (?), n. One who steers; as, a boat steerer.

Steer"ing, a. & n. from Steer, v.

Steering wheel (Naut.), the wheel by means of which the rudder of a vessel is turned and the vessel is steered.

Steer"less, a. Having no rudder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Steer"ling (?), n. A young or small steer.

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Steers"man (strz"man), n.; pl. Steersmen (-men). [Steer a rudder + man: cf. AS. steórmann.] One who steers; the helmsman of a vessel. Milton.

Steers"mate (-mt`), n. [Steer a rudder + mate a companion.] One who steers; steersman. [Obs.] Milton.

Steeve (stv), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Steeved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Steeving.] [Cf. OD. steve staff, E. stem, n.] (Shipbuilding) To project upward, or make an angle with the horizon or with the line of a vessel's keel; -- said of the bowsprit, etc.

Steeve, v. t. 1. (Shipbuilding) To elevate or fix at an angle with the horizon; -- said of the bowsprit, etc.

2. To stow, as bales in a vessel's hold, by means of a steeve. See Steeve, n. (b).

Steeve, n. (Naut.) (a) The angle which a bowsprit makes with the horizon, or with the line of the vessel's keel; -- called also steeving. (b) A spar, with a block at one end, used in stowing cotton bales, and similar kinds of cargo which need to be packed tightly.

Steev"ing, n. 1. The act or practice of one who steeves.

2. (Naut.) See Steeve, n. (a).

Steg (stg), n. [Icel. steggr the male of several animals. Cf. Stag.] (Zoöl.) A gander. [Written also stag.] [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Steg`a*nog"ra*phist (?), n. One skilled in steganography; a cryptographer.

Steg`a*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?; covered (fr. &?; to cover closely) + -graphy.] The art of writing in cipher, or in characters which are not intelligible except to persons who have the key; cryptography.

||Steg`a*noph*thal"ma*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; covered + &?; ||the eye.] (Zoöl.) The Discophora, or Phanerocarpæ. Called also ||Steganophthalmia.

Ste*gan"o*pod (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Steganopodes.

||Steg`a*nop"o*des (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, web-footed; &?; ||covered + &?; foot.] (Zoöl.) A division of swimming birds in which ||all four toes are united by a broad web. It includes the pelicans, ||cormorants, gannets, and others.

Steg`a*nop"o*dous (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having all four toes webbed together.

||Steg*no"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;. See Stegnotic.] (Med.) ||Constipation; also, constriction of the vessels or ducts.

Steg*no"tic (?), a. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to cover, to make costive, fr. &?;, &?;, covered, closed.] (Med.) Tending to render costive, or to diminish excretions or discharges generally. -- n. A stegnotic medicine; an astringent.

||Steg`o*ceph"a*la (stg`*sf"*l), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ste`gh roof + ||kefalh` head.] (Paleon.) An extinct order of amphibians found fossil ||in the Mesozoic rocks; called also Stegocephali, and Labyrinthodonta.

Their teeth, in transverse sections, usually show a labyrinthiform arrangement of the cement and dentine. The under side of the body was covered with bony plates. Some of the Stegocephala were of very large size, and the form of the body varied from short, stout forms to others that were as slender as serpents.