sedimentation In geology, the process of deposition of a solid mate¬ rial from a state of suspension or solution in a fluid (usually air or water). Broadly defined it also includes deposits from glacial ice and materials collected under the effect of gravity alone, as in talus deposits, or accu¬ mulations of rock debris at the base of cliffs.
sedimentology Scientific discipline concerned with the physical and chemical properties of sedimentary rocks and the processes involved in their formation, including transportation, deposition, and lithification of sediments. The aim of much sedimentological research is to interpret ancient environmental conditions by studying the constituents, textures, structures, and fossil content of the deposits.
sedition Crime of creating a revolt, disturbance, or violence against lawful civil authority with the intent to cause its overthrow or destruction. Because it is limited to organizing and encouraging opposition to gov¬ ernment rather than directly participating in its overthrow, sedition is regarded as falling one step short of the more serious crime of treason. In the U.S. the display of a certain flag or the advocacy of a particular movement, such as syndicalism, anarchism, or communism, has periodically been declared seditious. More recently, the courts have applied a more stringent test of sedition to ensure that constitutional guarantees regard¬ ing freedom of speech are not abridged. See also Alien and Sedition Acts.
sedum Vse-domX Any of about 600 species of succulent plants that make up the genus Sedum, in the stonecrop, or orpine, family (Crassulaceae), native to temperate zones and to mountains in the tropics. Some species are grown in greenhouses for their unusual foliage and sometimes showy
flowers of white, yellow, pink, or red. Low-growing varieties are popular in rock gardens and rock walls, and as edging in garden borders. Some species form mosslike mats on rocks and walls.
Seeckt \'zakt\, Hans von (b. April 22, 1866, Schleswig, Prussia—d. Dec. 27, 1936, Berlin, Ger.) German general. A career army officer, in World War I he was chief of staff of the 11th Army and then chief of staff of the Turkish army. After the war he became head of the German Reichs- wehr (1919-26) and secretly built a small but efficient army, circumvent¬ ing the Treaty of Versailles prohibition. He supported cooperation with Russia and encouraged the Treaty of Rapallo. He later served as an adviser to the Chinese Nationalist Army (1934-35).
seed Reproductive structure in plants that consists of a plant embryo, usually accompanied by a supply of food (endosperm, which is produced during fertilization) and enclosed in a protective coat. Seed embryos con¬ tain one or more cotyledons. In typical flowering plants, seed production follows pollination and fertilization. As seeds mature, the ovary that enclosed the ovules develops into a fruit containing the seeds. Most seeds are small, weighing less than a gram; the smallest contain no food reserve. At the opposite extreme, the seed of the double coconut palm may weigh up to about 60 lb (27 kg). Seeds are highly adapted to transportation by animals, wind, and water. When circumstances are favorable, water and oxygen penetrate the seed coat, and the new plant begins to grow (see germination). The longevity of seeds varies widely: some remain viable for only about a week; others have been known to germinate after hun¬ dreds or even thousands of years.
seed plant or spermatophyte Vspor-'ma-to-.fflA Any of the flower¬ ing plants (angiosperms) and the conifers and related plants (gymnosperms). Seed plants share many features with ferns, including the presence of vas¬ cular tissue (see xylem and phloem), but unlike ferns, they have stems that branch sideways and vascular tissue that is arranged in strands (bundles) around the core. Seed plants have generally more complex plant bodies and reproduce via seeds. As the main dispersal unit of seed plants, the seed represents a significant improvement over the spore, with its limited capacity for survival. Seed plants also differ from ferns in having game- tophytes that are reduced in size and are embedded in the sporophytes (and thus are less vulnerable to environmental stress). Another land-based adaptation of seed plants is pollen dispersed by wind or animals. The dis¬ persal of pollen, in addition to dispersal of seeds, promotes genetic recom¬ bination and distribution of the species over a wide geographic area.
New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. folk
Seeger, Pete(r) (b. May 3, 1919, singer and songwriter. He was the son of the pioneering ethnomusicol- ogist Charles Seeger (1886-1979) and stepson of the composer Ruth Crawford Seeger. Leaving Harvard after two years in 1938, he hitch¬ hiked and rode freight trains around the country, gathering folk songs and developing a virtuosity on the banjo.
In 1940 he organized the Almanac Singers with Woody Guthrie and per¬ formed widely at union halls and farm meetings. In 1948, with Lee Hays (1926-95), Ronnie Gilbert (b.
1927?), and Fred Hellerman (b.
1927), he formed the Weavers.
Shortly after the group became suc¬ cessful, it was blacklisted because of Seeger’s previous activities in left- wing and labour politics. He fostered
the growth of the hootenanny (a gathering of performers playing and singing for each other, with audience participation), and he wrote folk standards such as “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “If I Had a Hammer.” He is also known as a prominent supporter of antiwar, civil rights, and environmental causes.
Pete Seeger, DAVID GAHR
Seeger, Ruth Crawford See Ruth Crawford Seeger
Seeing Eye dog See guide dog
Sefarim, Mendele Moykher See Mendele Moykher Sforim
Sefer ha-bahir \'se-fer- I ha-ba-'hir\ Hebrew "Book of Bright¬ ness" Hebrew commentary on the Old Testament that had a major influ-
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Sefer ha-zohar ► Seine River I 1715
ence on the development of the Kabbala. It also influenced the symbology of Judaism in general by calling attention to the mystical significance of the shapes and sounds of the Hebrew alphabet. The Bahir first appeared in France in the 12th century, though Kabbalists consider it much older. It introduced the concept of the transmigration of souls and the notion of a cosmic or spiritual tree that symbolizes the flow of divine creative power. Though Kabbalists view it as authoritative, mainstream Judaism rejects it as heretical.
Sefer ha-zohar Vse-fer-ha-'z6- I har\ Hebrew "Book of Splen¬ dour" Classical text central to Kabbala that has influenced all mystical movements within Judaism. Many Kabbalists invest it with a sanctity nor¬ mally accorded only to the Torah and the Talmud. Written mostly in Ara¬ maic, it is believed to be mainly the work of Moses de Leon. The main part of the Zohar provides a mystical and symbolic interpretation of bib¬ lical texts, especially the Torah, the book of Ruth, and the Song of Solomon. Other sections deal with the mystery of creation, the problem of evil, and the cosmic significance of prayer and good deeds.
Sefer Torah \'se-fer-to-'ra\ Hebrew "Book of the Law" In Judaism, the Pentateuch (see Torah), when written in Hebrew by a qualified cal¬ ligrapher on vellum or parchment and enshrined in the Ark of the Law in a synagogue. It is used for public readings during services on the Sab¬ bath, Mondays, Thursdays, and religious festivals. Sephardic Jews often enclose it in a wooden or metal case; Ashkenazi Jews cover it with an ornate mantle of cloth decorated with ritual ornaments. Its scrolls are handled according to prescribed ritual that reflects the esteem in which the scrolls are held.
Seferis \se-'fer-es\, George orig. Giorgios Stylianou Seferia- des or Yeoryios Stilianou Sepheriades (b. March 13, 1900, Smyrna, Anatolia, Ottoman Empire—d. Sept. 20, 1971, Athens, Greece) Greek poet, essayist, and diplomat. He studied law in Paris and held vari¬ ous diplomatic posts from 1926 to 1962. His poetry appeared in a num¬ ber of collections beginning with I strofi (1931; “The Turning Point”). He is considered the leading Greek poet of “the generation of the ’30s,” which introduced Symbolism to modern Greek literature. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963.