Terms to watch out for
sacrifice
sample
See aliquot, sample
sensitivity, specificity
sensitivity: the proportion of truly positive units that are correctly identified as positive by a test
specificity: the proportion of truly negative units that are correctly identified as negative by a test
sewage, sewerage
sewage: waste materials that pass through sewers
sewerage: the system of drains that carries sewage
Sewage system and sewerage system are both acceptable.
sewerage
See sewage, sewerage
sex
See gender, sex
sign, symptom
sign: evidence of disease that can be recognised by someone other than the patient. For example, a rash, diarrhoea and fever are signs because they can be detected by another person
symptom: evidence of disease that can only be reported by the patient. For example, a headache, nausea and muscle aches are symptoms because they can only be experienced by the patient; other people can only know about them if told by the patient
significant, statistically significant
In science writing, significant should be used with care because it can indicate either statistical significance or a quality of importance, leading to ambiguity:
Alternative terms to indicate nonstatistical significance include substantial, important, major and valuable. See also proof
similar
slaughter
solute, solution, solvent
solute: a substance that is dissolved in a solvent to produce a solution
solution: a homogeneous mixture that is produced when a solute is dissolved in a solvent
solvent: a substance in which a solute is dissolved to produce a solution
solution
solvent
species
See breed, species
specificity
statistically significant
stormwater
sustainable
symptom
See sign, symptom