Words that start with S

Sulfur, also spelt sulphur, is a bright yellow element that is commonly found in nature. It is found in pure form around volcanoes and can also be mined. Sulfur is essential to life, and is used in a variety of ways. It is a component of gunpowder, it is used as a preservative, in the head of matches, is found in fertilizer and many other uses. Many things that contain sulfur smell bad, and sulfur is found in skunk smell and garlic.

A sultana is a dried grape and is called a raisin in most countries. Grapes without seeds that are grown to be turned into raisins are also called sultana grapes.

A summit is the highest point of something, particularly a hill or mountain. A similar word to summit is peak or apex.

Sunburn is a type of burn that you get when you spend too much time in the sun without wearing sunscreen. Bad sunburn can be extremely painful, and can make your skin blister and peel. You treat sunburn the same way as any other minor burn, with special burn creams and even anaesthetic sprays. Too much exposure to the sun makes your skin age early and become dry and wrinkly, and can give you skin cancer.

Sundews are a large family of carnivorous plants. They catch insects on sticky glands on their leaves and digest them. Sundews live in poor soils and need the nutrients from insects that they cannot get from the soil. They get their name because the sticky substance they produce looks like beads of dew.