Eg -abbr

  1. Egypt; Egyptian

egad [i-'gad] -interj

  1. used as a mild oath

egal ['ē-gəl] -adj

  1. equal

egal·i·tar·i·an [i-,ga-lə-'ter-ē-ən] -adj, n

  1. asserting, promoting, or marked by egalitarianism

egal·i·tar·i·an·ism [-ē-ə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. a belief in human equality esp. with respect to social, political, and economic affairs
  2. a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people

ega·li·te [ā-gä-lē-tā] -n

  1. social or political equality

Ege·ria [i-'jir-ē-ə] -n

  1. a woman who is an adviser or a companion

eges·ta [i-'jes-tə] -n pl

  1. egested material

eges·tion [i-'jes(h)-chən] -n, vt, adj

  1. the act or process of discharging undigested or waste material from a cell or organism
  2. defecation

EGF -abbr

  1. epidermal growth factor

egg ['eg, 'āg] -vt

  1. to incite to action usu. used with on
  2. the hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird and esp. by the common domestic chicken
  3. its contents used as food
  4. an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with its nutritive and protective envelopes and having the capacity to develop into a new individual capable of independent existence
  5. ovum
  6. something resembling an egg
  7. person, sort
    • a good egg
  8. to cover with egg
  9. to pelt with eggs

egg and dart -n

  1. a carved ornamental design in relief consisting of an egg-shaped figure alternating with a figure somewhat like an elongated javelin or arrowhead

egg·beat·er ['eg-,bē-tər, 'āg-] -n

  1. a hand-operated kitchen utensil used for beating, stirring, or whipping
  2. a rotary device for these purposes
  3. helicopter

egg case -n

  1. a protective case enclosing eggs : ootheca called also egg capsule

egg cell -n

  1. ovum

egg cream -n

  1. a sweetened drink made with milk or cream and other ingredients
  2. a drink consisting of milk, a flavoring syrup, and soda water

egg·cup ['eg-,kəp, 'āg-] -n

  1. a cup for holding an egg that is to be eaten from the shell

egg foo yong [-'fü-'yəŋ] -n

  1. a fried egg patty containing vegetables (as bean sprouts) and sometimes meat

egg·head [-,hed] -n

  1. intellectual, highbrow

egg·head·ed [-'he-dəd] -adj, n

  1. having the characteristics of an egghead

egg·nog [-,näg] -n

  1. a drink consisting of eggs beaten with sugar, milk or cream, and often alcoholic liquor

egg·plant [-,plant] -n

  1. a widely cultivated perennial Asian herb ( Solanum melongena) of the nightshade family yielding edible fruit
  2. the usu. smooth ovoid typically blackish-purple or white fruit of the eggplant
  3. a dark grayish or blackish purple

egg roll -n

  1. a thin egg-dough casing filled with minced vegetables and often bits of meat (as shrimp or chicken) and usu. deep-fried

eggs Ben·e·dict [-'be-nə-,dikt] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. poached eggs and broiled ham placed on toasted halves of English muffin and covered with hollandaise

egg·shell ['eg-,shel, 'āg-] -n

  1. the hard exterior covering of an egg
  2. something resembling an eggshell esp. in fragility

eggshell -adj

  1. thin and fragile
  2. slightly glossy
  3. yellowish white

egg timer -n

  1. a small sandglass for timing the boiling of eggs

egg tooth -n

  1. a hard sharp prominence on the beak of an unhatched bird or the nose of an unhatched reptile that is used to break through the eggshell

egis ['ē-jəs also 'ā-] -n

(variant of aegis)

  1. a shield or breastplate emblematic of majesty that was associated with Zeus and Athena
  2. protection
    • under the aegis of the Constitution
  3. controlling or conditioning influence
    • many American mothers, under the aegis of benevolent permissiveness...actually neglect their children -- Time
  4. auspices, sponsorship
    • under the aegis of the museum
  5. control or guidance esp. by an individual, group, or system

eg·lan·tine ['e-glən-,tīn, -,tēn] -n

  1. sweetbriar

eglo·mi·se [,ā-glə-(,)mē-'zā, ,e-; 'ā-glə-(,)mē-,, 'e-] -adj

  1. made of glass on the back of which is a painted picture that shows through

ego ['ē-(,)gō also 'e-] -n, adj

  1. the self esp. as contrasted with another self or the world
  2. egotism
  3. self-esteem
  4. the one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that serves as the organized conscious mediator between the person and reality esp. by functioning both in the perception of and adaptation to reality

ego·cen·tric [,ē-gō-'sen-trik also ,e-] -adj, n, adv

  1. concerned with the individual rather than society
  2. taking the ego as the starting point in philosophy
  3. limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs
  4. self-centered, selfish

ego ideal -n

  1. the standards, ideals, and ambitions that according to psychoanalytic theory are assimilated from the superego

ego·ism ['ē-gə-,wi-zəm, -gō-,i- also 'e-] -n

  1. a doctrine that individual self-interest is the actual motive of all conscious action
  2. a doctrine that individual self-interest is the valid end of all actions
  3. excessive concern for oneself with or without exaggerated feelings of self-importance

ego·ist [-gə-wist, -gō-īst] -n, adj, adv

  1. a believer in egoism
  2. an egocentric or egotistic person

egoistic hedonism -n

  1. the ethical theory that achieving one's own happiness is the proper goal of all conduct

ego·ma·nia [,ē-gō-'mā-nē-ə, -nyə] -n, adj, adv

  1. the quality or state of being extremely egocentric

ego·tism ['ē-gə-,ti-zəm also 'e-] -n, adj, adv

  1. excessive use of the first person singular personal pronoun
  2. the practice of talking about oneself too much
  3. an exaggerated sense of self-importance : conceit

ego trip -n, vi

  1. an act or course of action that enhances and satisfies one's ego

egre·gious [i-'grē-jəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. distinguished
  2. conspicuous
  3. conspicuously bad : flagrant
    • egregious errors

egress ['ē-,gres] -n

  1. the action or right of going or coming out
  2. a place or means of going out : exit
  3. to go or come out

egres·sion [ē-'gre-shən] -n

  1. egress, emergence

egret ['ē-grət, -,gret also i-'gret, 'eg-rət] -n

  1. any of various herons that bear long plumes during the breeding season

Egyp·tian [i-'jip-shən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Egypt or the Egyptians

Egyptian -n

  1. a native or inhabitant of Egypt
  2. the Afro-Asiatic language of the ancient Egyptians from earliest times to about the third century a.d.
  3. a typeface having little contrast between thick and thin strokes and squared serifs

Egyptian alfalfa weevil -n

  1. an Old World weevil ( Hypera brunneipennis) that is now a pest of alfalfa in western No. America

Egyptian clover -n

  1. berseem

Egyptian cotton -n

  1. a fine long-staple often somewhat brownish cotton grown chiefly in Egypt

Egyp·tol·o·gy [,ē-(,)jip-'tä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. the study of Egyptian antiquities