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Amer. American. Ar. Arabic. A.S. Anglo-Saxon. Austr. Australian. Bav. Bavarian. Beng. Bengali. Bohem. Bohemian. Braz. Brazilian. Bret. Breton. Carib. Caribbean. Celt. Celtic. Chal. Chaldean. Chin. Chinese. Corn. Cornish. Dan. Danish. Dut. Dutch. Egypt. Egyptian. Eng. English. Finn. Finnish. Flem. Flemish. Fr. French. Fris. Frisian. Gael. Gaelic. Ger. German. Goth. Gothic. Gr. Greek. Heb. Hebrew. Hind. Hindustani. Hung. Hungarian. Ice. Icelandic. Ind. Indian. Ion. Ionic. Ir. Irish. It. Italian. Jap. Japanese. Jav. Javanese. L. Latin. Lith. Lithuanian. L. L. Low or Late Latin. M. E. Middle English. Mex. Mexican. Norm. Norman. Norw. Norwegian. O. Fr. Old French. Pers. Persian. Peruv. Peruvian. Pol. Polish. Port. Portuguese. Prov. Provençal. Rom. Romance. Russ. Russian Sans. Sanskrit. Scand. Scandinavian. Scot. Scottish. Singh. Singhalese. Slav. Slavonic. Sp. Spanish. Sw. Swedish. Teut. Teutonic. Turk. Turkish. U.S. United States. W. Welsh.

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CHAMBERS'S TWENTIETH CENTURY DICTIONARY.

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E the fifth letter in our own and the cognate alphabets, with four sounds--e.g. e in _e_vil, i in _E_ngland, u in the last syllable of elev_e_n, Italian e in pr_e_y. A subscript e is commonly used to lengthen the previous vowel, as in not, not_e_; bit, bit_e_; (mus.) the third note or sound of the natural diatonic scale, and the third above the tonic C.

EACH, [=e]ch, adj. every one in any number separately considered.--adv. EACH'WHERE, everywhere. [A.S. ['æ]lc, supposed to be for á-ge-líc, from á (=_aye_), pfx. ge-, and líc, like--i.e. aye-like.]

EADISH, obsolete form of EDDISH.

EAGER, [=e]'g[.e]r, adj. excited by desire: ardent to do or obtain: (obs.) earnest: keen, severe, sour, acid, bitter.--adv. EA'GERLY.--n. EA'GERNESS. [O. Fr. aigre--L. acer, acris, sharp.]

EAGER. Same as EAGRE.

EAGLE, [=e]'gl, n. a name given to many birds of prey in the family Falconidæ: a military standard carrying the figure of an eagle: a gold coin of the United States, worth ten dollars.--adjs. EA'GLE-EYED, EA'GLE-SIGHT'ED, having a piercing eye: discerning; EA'GLE-FLIGHT'ED, mounting high.--ns. EA'GLE-HAWK, a name applied to several eagles of comparatively small size; EA'GLE-OWL, a genus of large owls, the largest in Europe; EA'GLE-STONE, a variety of argillaceous oxide of iron occurring in egg-shaped masses; EA'GLET, a young or small eagle.--adj. EA'GLE-WINGED, having an eagle's wings.--ns. EA'GLE-WOOD, another name for agalloch or calambac; SPREAD'-EA'GLE (see Spread). [O. Fr. aigle--L. aquila.]

EAGRE, [=e]'g[.e]r, n. rise of the tide in a river (same as Bore). [Ety. dub.; hardly from A.S. égor, flood.]

EALDORMAN. See ALDERMAN.

EAN, [=e]n, v.t. or v.i. (Shak.) to bring forth young.--n. EAN'LING, a young lamb. [A.S. éanian.]

EAR, [=e]r, n. a spike, as of corn.--v.i. to put forth ears.--n. EAR'-COCK'LE, a disease of wheat.--adj. EARED, of corn, having ears. [A.S. éar; Ger. ähre.]

EAR, [=e]r, v.t. (obs.) to plough or till.--n. EAR'ING (obs.), ploughing. [A.S. erian; cf. L. ar[=a]re, Gr. aroein.]

EAR, [=e]r, n. the organ of hearing, or the external part merely: the sense or power of hearing: the faculty of distinguishing sounds: attention: anything like an ear.--ns. EAR'ACHE, an ache or pain in the ear; EAR'BOB, an earring; EAR'-CAP, a covering to protect the ear from cold; EAR'DROP, an ornamental pendant hanging from the ear; EAR'DRUM, the drum or middle cavity of the ear, tympanum (q.v.).--adj. EARED, having ears.--n. EAR'-HOLE, the aperture of the ear.--adj. EAR'-KISS'ING, whispered.--n. EAR'LAP, the tip of the ear: an ear-cap.--adj. EAR'LESS, wanting ears.--ns. EAR'LOCK, a curl near the ear worn by Elizabethan dandies; EAR'MARK, a mark set on the ears of sheep whereby their owners may distinguish them: a distinctive mark.--v.t. to put an earmark on.--n. EAR'-PICK, an instrument for clearing the ear.--adj. EAR'-PIERC'ING, shrill, screaming.--ns. EAR'RING, an ornamental ring worn in the ear; EAR'-SHELL, any shell of the family Haliotidæ; EAR'SHOT, the distance at which a sound can be heard; EAR'-TRUM'PET, a tube to aid in hearing; EAR'WAX, a waxy substance secreted by the glands of the ear; EAR'WIG, an insect which was supposed to creep into the brain through the ear: a flatterer.--v.t. to gain the ear of: to bias: to torment by private importunities (A.S. éarwicga, éare, ear, wicga, earwig).--n. EAR'WITNESS, a witness that can testify from his own hearing.--ABOUT ONE'S EARS, said of a house falling, &c.; BE ALL EARS, to give every attention; GIVE EAR, to attend; GO IN AT ONE EAR AND OUT AT THE OTHER, used of words which make no permanent impression; HAVE A PERSON'S EAR, to be secure of his favourable attention; HAVE ITCHING EARS, to be desirous of hearing novelties (2 Tim. iv. 3); LEND AN EAR, to listen; OVER HEAD AND EARS, overwhelmed: deeply engrossed or involved; SET BY THE EARS, to set at strife; SPEAK IN THE EAR, to whisper; TICKLE THE EAR, to flatter; TURN A DEAF EAR, to refuse to listen; WALLS HAVE EARS, a proverbial phrase implying that there may be listeners behind the wall. [A.S. éare; cf. L. auris, Ger. ohr.]

EARL, [.e]rl, n. an English nobleman ranking between a marquis and a viscount:--fem. COUNT'ESS.--ns. EARL'DOM, the dominion or dignity of an earl; EARL'-MAR'SHAL, an English officer of state, president of the Heralds' College--the Scotch form Earl-marischal. [A.S. eorl, a warrior, hero; cf. Ice. jarl.]

EARLES-PENNY. See ARLES.

EARLY, [.e]r'li, adj. in good season: at or near the beginning of the day: relating to the beginning: happening in the near future.--adv. near the beginning: soon.--n. EAR'LINESS.--EARLY AND LATE, at all times; EARLY BIRD, an early riser; EARLY ENGLISH (archit.), generally applied to the form of Gothic in which the pointed arch was first employed in Britain. The Early English succeeded the Norman towards the end of the 12th century, and merged into the Decorated at the end of the 13th.--KEEP EARLY HOURS, to rise and go to bed betimes; SMALL AND EARLY (coll.), applied to evening parties; THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM, a proverb in favour of early rising. [A.S. árlíce--['æ]r, before.]

EARN, [.e]rn, v.t. to gain by labour: to acquire: to deserve.--n.pl. EARN'INGS, what one has earned: money saved. [A.S. earnian, to earn; cog. with Old High Ger. aran, to reap; Ger. ernte, harvest.]

EARN, [.e]rn, v.i. to yearn. [A variant of yearn.]

EARNEST, [.e]r'nest, adj. showing strong desire: determined: eager to obtain: intent: sincere: serious.--n. seriousness: reality.--adv. EAR'NESTLY.--n. EAR'NESTNESS. [A.S. eornost, seriousness; Ger. ernst.]

EARNEST, [.e]r'nest, n. money given in token of a bargain made--also EAR'NEST-MON'EY, EAR'NEST-PENN'Y: a pledge: first-fruits. [ETY. obscure; possibly conn. with arles.]

EARST, obsolete form of ERST.

EARTH, [.e]rth, n. the name applied to the third planet in order from the sun: the matter on the surface of the globe: soil: dry land, as opposed to sea: the world: the inhabitants of the world: dirt: dead matter: the human body: a fox's hole: (pl.) the name applied by the alchemists and earlier chemists to certain substances now known to be oxides of metal, which were distinguished by being infusible, and by insolubility in water.--v.t. to hide or cause to hide in the earth: to bury.--v.i. to burrow: to hide.--ns. EARTH'-BAG, a sack of earth used in fortifications; EARTH'-BATH, a bath of earth or mud; EARTH'-BOARD, the board of a plough, or other implement, that turns over the earth.--adjs. EARTH'-BORN, born from or on the earth; EARTH'-BOUND, bound or held by the earth, as a tree; EARTH'-BRED, mean, grovelling.--n. EARTH'-CLOS'ET, a system consisting of the application of earth to the deodorisation of fæcal matters.--adjs. EARTH'-CRE[=A]'TED, made of earth; EARTH'EN, made of earth or clay: earthly.--ns. EARTH'ENWARE, crockery; EARTH'-FALL, a landslide.--adj. EARTH'-FED, contented with earthly things.--ns. EARTH'FLAX, asbestos; EARTH'-HOG (see AARDVARK); EARTH'-HOUSE, the name given to the ancient underground dwellings in Ireland and Scotland, also called Picts' houses; EARTH'-HUNG'ER, the passion for acquiring land; EARTH'INESS; EARTH'LINESS; EARTH'LING, a dweller on the earth.--adjs. EARTH'LY, belonging to the earth: vile: worldly; EARTH'LY-MIND'ED, having the mind intent on earthly things.--ns. EARTH'LY-MIND'EDNESS; EARTH'-NUT, the popular name of certain tuberous roots growing underground; EARTH'-PEA, the hog-peanut; EARTH'-PLATE, a buried plate of metal forming the earth-connection of a telegraph-wire, lightning-conductor, &c.; EARTH'QUAKE, a quaking or shaking of the earth: a heaving of the ground; EARTH'-SHINE, the faint light visible on the part of the moon not illuminated by the sun; EARTH'-TREM'OR, a slight earthquake.--adv. EARTH'WARD, toward the earth.--ns. EARTH'WORK, a fortification of earth; EARTH'-WORM, the common worm: a mean person, a poor creature.--adj. EARTH'Y, consisting of, relating to, or resembling earth: inhabiting the earth: gross: unrefined. [A.S. eorthe; cf. Dut. aarde, Ger. erde.]