shiner Any of several small freshwater fishes (genera Notemigonus and Notropis, family Cyprinidae). The common shiner ( Notropis cornutus ) is a blue and silver minnow up to 8 in. (20 cm) long. The golden shiner {Notemigonus cryseleucas ), sometimes called the American roach, is a greenish and golden minnow, about 12 in. (30 cm) long and weighing 1.5 lbs (0.7 kg). It is edible and valuable as bait.
shingle Thin piece of building material made of wood, asphaltic mate¬ rial, slate, metal, or concrete, laid in overlapping rows to shed water. Shingles are widely used as roof covering on residential buildings and sometimes also for siding (see Shingle style). Wood shingles in the U.S. are usually made of cypress, redwood, or Western red cedar.
Shingle style In the U.S., a style of wood-shingle-covered domestic architecture of the 1870s and ’80s. Among the finest examples are Henry Hobson Richardson’s Sherman House (1874-75), Newport, R.I., and Stoughton House (1882-83), Cambridge, Mass. The style grew out of the Queen Anne and Stick styles and was stimulated by a revived interest in
colonial American architecture. The small size of the shingle made it easy to cover a variety of shapes. Like the Stick style, the Shingle style is char¬ acterized by a free-flowing, open plan; open porches and irregular roof lines contribute to the picturesque or rustic effect. The style had a sig¬ nificant influence on Frank Lloyd Wright.
shingles or herpes zoster Vhsr-.pez-'zas-torV Acute viral skin and nerve infection. Groups of small blisters appear along certain nerve seg¬ ments, most often on the back, sometimes after a dull ache at the site; pain becomes more severe when the blisters break out. Caused by the same virus as chickenpox, it probably results from reactivation of seem¬ ingly inactive virus in a partially immune person. Spontaneous recovery from the infection usually occurs within two weeks, but neuralgia may last months or even years longer.
Shingon \'sheq- l goq,\ English Vshin-,gan\ Esoteric Japanese sect based on an interpretation of 9th-century Chinese Buddhism. It holds that the Buddha’s secret wisdom can be developed through special ritual means (see Yoga) employing body, speech, and mind, including the use of sym¬ bolic gestures, mystical syllables, and mental concentration. The whole is intended to arouse a realization of the spiritual presence of the Buddha inherent in all living things. Shingon’s main scripture, the Mahavairo- cana Sutra (“Great Sun Sutra”), is not canonical in other Buddhist schools. Shingon is properly considered a form of Vajrayana, though it was much modified and systematized by KOkai.
Shining Path Spanish Sendero Luminoso Maoist movement in Peru dedicated to violent revolution. It was founded in 1970 by a phi¬ losophy professor, Abimael Guzman Reynoso (b. 1934), as a result of a split in the Peruvian Communist Party. The senderistas began their cam¬ paign among the impoverished Indians of the high Andes, attracting sym¬ pathizers by their emphasis on the empowerment of Indians at the expense of Peru’s traditional elite. They gained control of large areas of Peru through violence and intimidation. By 1992, when Guzman was captured and their influence began to wane, they had caused an estimated 25,000 deaths and seriously disrupted the Peruvian economy. Their new leader, Oscar Ramirez Durand, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1999.
Shinran \'shen-,ran\ orig. Matsuwaka-Maru (b. 1173, near Kyoto, Japan—d. Jan. 9, 1263, Kyoto) Japanese philosopher and religious reformer. He entered the priesthood at age nine and studied for 20 years at the centre founded by Saicho on Mount Hiei. He later met Honen, founder of the Jodo sect (see Pure Land Buddhism). When Honen’s move¬ ment was suppressed, he and Shinran were exiled. For more than 20 years, Shinran lived an academic and missionary life, compiling the six volumes of his teachings. In 1224 he established Jodo Shinshu (“True Pure Land sect”). He refined the Pure Land teaching that salvation could be attained through chanting the name of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha) by saying that even one such utterance, if made with true faith, was sufficient for salvation. He advocated marriage for his priests to minimize the distance between clergy and laity. Jodo Shinshu is the largest Buddhist denomi¬ nation in modern Japan.
Shinto Indigenous religion of Japan. Based on the worship of spirits known as kami, Shinto has no founder and no official scripture, though its mythology is collected in the Kojiki (“Records of Ancient Matters”) and Nihon shoki (“Chronicles of Japan”), written in the 8th century. The term Shinto (“Way of the Kami”) came into use to distinguish indigenous Japa¬ nese beliefs from Buddhism, which had been introduced into Japan in the 6th century. At Shinto’s core are beliefs in the kami 1 s mysterious creat¬ ing and harmonizing power. According to Shinto myths, in the beginning a certain number of kami simply emerged, and a pair of kami, Izanagi and Izanami, gave birth to the Japanese islands, as well as to the kami who became ancestors of the various clans. The Japanese imperial family claims descent from Izanagi’s daughter, the sun goddess Amaterasu. All kami are said to cooperate with one another, and life lived in accordance with their will is believed to produce a mystical power that gains their protection, cooperation, and approval. Through veneration and observa¬ tion of prescribed rituals at shrines (e.g., ritual purity), practitioners of Shinto can come to understand and live in accordance with divine will. In the early 21st century, Shinto had nearly 2.8 million followers. See also shinbutsu shOgo.
shinty Dr shinny Game similar to hurling and field hockey. Players (12 per team) use curved sticks to hit a small, hard ball into the opposing team’s goal {hail). It is considered the national game of Scotland, where it originated before the 17th century.
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ship ► Shiva I 1741
ship Large floating vessel capable of crossing open waters. The term for¬ merly was applied to sailing vessels with three or more masts; today it usually denotes a vessel of more than 500 tons’ (450 metric tons’) dis¬ placement. The largest ships today are enormous oil tankers, some of which are 500,000 tons (450,000 metric tons) deadweight. Other special¬ ized ships (containerships) carry general freight in standardized contain¬ ers that can be easily loaded, unloaded, and transferred. See also battleship, BRIG, CUPPER SHIP, CORVETTE, DHOW, FRIGATE, JUNK, LONGSHIP, OCEAN LINER, SCHOO¬ NER, YACHT.
ship money English tax levied by the crown on coastal cities for naval defense in time of war. First levied in medieval times, the tax required payment in the form of a number of warships or their equivalent in money. It was revived in 1634 by Charles I to raise extra revenue. He issued six annual writs (1634-39) that extended the imposition to inland towns and sought to establish it as a permanent tax. Its enforcement aroused wide¬ spread opposition and added to the discontent leading to the English Civil Wars. In 1641 the tax was declared illegal by Parliament.
ship of the line Type of sailing warship, the principal vessel of the West’s great navies from the mid-17th to the mid-19th century. It evolved from a tactic in naval warfare known as the line of battle, in which two opposing columns of ships maneuvered to fire their guns broadside against each other. Since the largest ships carrying the biggest guns usually won these battles, this led to the construction of more big line-of-battle ships, or ships of the line. These three-masted ships were often 200 ft (60 m) long, displaced 1,200-2,000 tons (1,100-1,800 metric tons), and had crews of 600-800 men; they usually had 60-110 cannons and other guns arranged along three decks. They eventually gave way to the steam- powered BATTLESHIP.