S

Senses

The letter S abounds in words associated with the senses--often at the beginning, sometimes in the middle or at the end.   "S" is a sensory sound.

Smell:  fragrance, jasmine, sandalwood, soapy, stinky, sour, smoky

Sight: spectacular, scenic, shimmery, shiny, sparkly

Touch: soft, sudsy, slow, silky, sticky

Sound: sharp, silence, staccato, slow-dance music, raucous, soothing

Taste: salty, sweet, sour, delicious, savory

Yesterday's "Science Friday" on NPR was about new prosthetic devices that allow the wearer to feel. A 12-year-old was interviewed (along with one of the engineers who invented the new prosthetic arm and hand) about what it was like to feel textures and pressures in a robotic hand.

Listening to that program, I was reminded of an excellent book I read many years ago:  A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman.