et ['ēt] -vb, n

(variant of eat)

  1. to take in through the mouth as food : ingest, chew, and swallow in turn
  2. to destroy, consume, or waste by or as if by eating
    • expenses ate up the profits
    • gadgets that eat up too much space
  3. to bear the expense of : take a loss on
    • the team was forced to eat the rest of his contract
  4. to consume gradually : corrode
    • cars eaten away by rust
  5. to consume with vexation : bother
    • what's eat ing you now
  6. to enjoy eagerly or avidly : lap used with up
    • it was an amazing performance and the crowd ate it up
  7. to perform fellatio or cunnilingus on often used with out
  8. to take food or a meal
  9. to affect something by gradual destruction or consumption usu. used with into, away, or at
    • the loss was really eat ing at her
    • the controversy ate into his support
  10. something to eat : food usu. used in pl.

Et -abbr

  1. ethyl

ET ['ē-'tē] -n

  1. extraterrestrial
  2. eastern time

eta ['ā-tə, chiefly Brit 'ē-tə] -n

  1. the 7th letter of the Greek alphabet

ETA -abbr

  1. estimated time of arrival

eta·gere [,ā-,tä-'zher, -tə-] -n

  1. a piece of furniture consisting of a set of open shelves for displaying small objects and sometimes having an enclosed cabinet as a base

etail ['ē-,tāl] -n

  1. retail business conducted online via the World Wide Web

et al -abbr

  1. and others

et alia [(,)et-'ä-l(ē-)yə, -'ā-, -'a-]

  1. and others

eta·mine ['ā-tə-,mēn] -n

  1. a light cotton or worsted fabric with an open mesh

etat·ism [ā-'tä-,ti-zəm] -n, adj

  1. statism

etc -abbr

  1. et cetera usu. punctuated

et·cet·era [et-'se-tə-rə, -'se-trə also it-, ÷ek-, ÷ik-] -n

  1. a number of unspecified additional persons or things
  2. unspecified additional items : odds and ends

et cet·era [et-'se-tə-rə, -'se-trə also it-, ÷ek-, ÷ik-]

  1. and others esp. of the same kind : and so forth

etch ['ech] -vb, n

  1. to produce (as a pattern or design) on a hard material by eating into the material's surface (as by acid or laser beam)
  2. to subject to such etching
  3. to delineate or impress clearly
    • scenes etch ed in our minds
    • pain was etch ed on his features
  4. to practice etching
  5. the action or effect of etching a surface
  6. a chemical agent used in etching

etch·ant ['e-chənt] -n

  1. etch

etch·ing ['e-chiŋ] -n

  1. the action or process of etching
  2. the art of producing pictures or designs by printing from an etched metal plate
  3. an etched design
  4. an impression from an etched plate

ETD -abbr

  1. estimated time of departure

eter·nal [i-'tər-nᵊl] -adj, vt, adv, n

  1. having infinite duration : everlasting
    • eternal damnation
  2. of or relating to eternity
  3. characterized by abiding fellowship with God
    • good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? -- Mk 10:17(RSV)
  4. continued without intermission : perpetual
    • an eternal flame
  5. seemingly endless
    • eternal delays
  6. infernal
    • some eternal villain...devised this slander -- Shak.
  7. valid or existing at all times : timeless
    • eternal verities

eternal -n

  1. god used with the
  2. something eternal

eterne [i-'tərn] -adj

  1. eternal

eter·ni·ty [i-'tər-nə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being eternal
  2. infinite time
    • lasting throughout eternity
  3. age
  4. the state after death : immortality
  5. a seemingly endless or immeasurable time
    • an eternity of delays

eter·nize [i-'tər-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to make eternal
  2. to prolong indefinitely
  3. immortalize

Ete·sian [i-'tē-zhən] -adj, n

  1. recurring annually used of summer winds that blow over the Mediterranean

eth ['eth] -n

(variant of edh)

  1. the letter used in Old English to represent either of the fricatives th or and in Icelandic and some phonetic alphabets to represent the fricative

eth- -comb form

  1. ethyl
    • eth ene

eth·a·cryn·ic acid [,e-thə-,kri-nik-] -n

  1. a potent synthetic diuretic C 13H 12Cl 2O 4used esp. in the treatment of edema

eth·am·bu·tol [e-'tham-byu̇-,tȯl, -,tōl] -n

  1. a synthetic drug C 10H 24N 2O 2used in the form of its hydrochloride esp. in the treatment of tuberculosis

eth·ane ['e-,thān, Brit usu 'ē-] -n

  1. a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C 2H 6found in natural gas and used as a fuel

eth·a·nol ['e-thə-,nȯl, -,nōl, Brit also 'ē-] -n

  1. a colorless volatile flammable liquid C 2H 5OH that is the intoxicating agent in liquors and is also used as a solvent and in fuel called also ethyl alcohol grain alcohol

eth·a·nol·amine [,e-thə-'nä-lə-,mēn, -'nō-, Brit also ,ē-] -n

  1. a colorless liquid amino alcohol C 2H 7NO used esp. as a solvent in the synthesis of detergents and in gas purification

eth·ene ['e-,thēn] -n

  1. ethylene

eth·e·phon ['e-thə-,fän] -n

  1. a synthetic plant growth regulator C 2H 6ClO 3P that induces flowering and abscission by promoting the release of ethylene and has been used to cause early ripening (as of apples on the tree)

ether ['ē-thər] -n, adj

  1. the rarefied element formerly believed to fill the upper regions of space
  2. the upper regions of space : heavens
  3. a medium that in the wave theory of light permeates all space and transmits transverse waves
  4. airwaves
  5. a light volatile flammable liquid C 4H 10O used chiefly as a solvent and esp. formerly as an anesthetic
  6. any of a class of organic compounds characterized by an oxygen atom attached to two carbon atoms

ethe·re·al [i-'thir-ē-əl] -adj, n, vt, adv

  1. of or relating to the regions beyond the earth
  2. celestial, heavenly
  3. unworldly, spiritual
  4. lacking material substance : immaterial, intangible
  5. marked by unusual delicacy or refinement
    • this smallest, most ethereal, and daintiest of birds -- William Beebe
  6. suggesting the heavens or heaven
  7. relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether

ether extract -n

  1. the part of a complex organic material that is soluble in ether and consists chiefly of fats and fatty acids

ether·ize ['ē-thə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to treat or anesthetize with ether
  2. to make numb as if by anesthetizing

Ether·net ['ē-thər-,net] -n

  1. a computer network architecture consisting of various specified local-area network protocols, devices, and connection methods

eth·ic ['e-thik] -n

  1. the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation
  2. a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values
    • the present-day materialistic ethic
    • an old-fashioned work ethic
    often used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
    • an elaborate ethic s
    • Christian ethic s
  3. the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group
    • professional ethic s
  4. a guiding philosophy
  5. a consciousness of moral importance
    • forge a conservation ethic
  6. a set of moral issues or aspects (as rightness)
    • debated the ethic s of human cloning

eth·i·cal ['e-thi-kəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to ethics
    • ethical theories
  2. involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval
    • ethical judgments
  3. conforming to accepted standards of conduct
    • ethical behavior
  4. restricted to sale only on a doctor's prescription

ethi·cian [e-'thi-shən] -n

  1. ethicist

eth·i·cist ['e-thə-sist] -n

  1. a specialist in ethics

ethid·ium bromide [e-'thi-dē-əm-] -n

  1. a fluorescent mutagenic biological dye C 21H 20BrN 3that is used esp. to stain nucleic acids

ethi·nyl [e-'thī-nᵊl, 'e-thə-,nil] -n

  1. a monovalent unsaturated radical HCC derived from acetylene by removal of one hydrogen atom

ethinyl estradiol -n

  1. a very potent synthetic estrogen C 20H 24O 2used esp. as an oral contraceptive

eth·i·on ['e-thē-,än] -n

  1. a toxic organophosphate C 9H 22O 4P 2S 4used as an insecticide and acaricide

eth·i·on·amide [,e-thē-'ä-nə-,mīd] -n

  1. a compound C 8H 10N 2S used against mycobacteria (as in tuberculosis and leprosy)

ethi·o·nine [e-'thī-ə-,nēn] -n

  1. an amino acid C 6H 13NO 2S that is the ethyl homologue of methionine and is biologically antagonistic to methionine

Ethi·op ['ē-thē-,äp] -n

  1. ethiopian

Ethi·o·pi·an [,ē-thē-'ō-pē-ən] -n

  1. a member of any of the mythical or actual peoples usu. described by the ancient Greeks as dark-skinned and living far to the south
  2. a black person
  3. a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia

Ethiopian -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the inhabitants or the country of Ethiopia
  2. of, relating to, or being the biogeographic region that includes Africa south of the Sahara, southern Arabia, and sometimes Madagascar and the adjacent islands

Ethi·o·pic [-'ä-pik, -'ō-pik] -adj

  1. ethiopian
  2. of, relating to, or constituting Ethiopic
  3. of, relating to, or constituting a group of related Semitic languages spoken in Ethiopia

Ethiopic -n

  1. a Semitic language formerly spoken in Ethiopia and still used as the liturgical language of the Christian church in Ethiopia
  2. the Ethiopic group of Semitic languages

eth·moid ['eth-,mȯid] -n, adj

  1. a light spongy cubical bone forming much of the walls of the nasal cavity and part of those of the orbits

eth·nic ['eth-nik] -adj

  1. heathen
  2. of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background
    • ethnic minorities
    • ethnic enclaves
  3. being a member of a specified ethnic group
    • an ethnic German
  4. of, relating to, or characteristic of ethnics
    • ethnic neighborhoods
    • ethnic foods

ethnic -n

  1. a member of an ethnic group
  2. a member of a minority group who retains the customs, language, or social views of the group

eth·ni·cal ['eth-ni-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. ethnic
  2. of or relating to ethnology : ethnologic

ethnic cleansing -n

  1. the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity

eth·nic·i·ty [eth-'ni-sə-tē] -n

  1. ethnic quality or affiliation
    • aspects of ethnicity
  2. a particular ethnic affiliation or group
    • students of diverse ethnicities

ethno- -comb form

  1. race : people : cultural group
    • ethno centric

eth·no·bi·ol·o·gy [,eth-nō-bī-'ä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. the interdisciplinary study of how human cultures interact with and use their native plants and animals

eth·no·bot·a·ny [,eth-nō-'bä-tə-nē, -'bät-nē] -n, adj

  1. the plant lore of indigenous cultures
  2. the systematic study of such lore

eth·no·cen·tric [,eth-nō-'sen-trik] -adj, n

  1. characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior

eth·nog·ra·phy [eth-'nä-grə-fē] -n, adj, adv

  1. the study and systematic recording of human cultures
  2. a descriptive work produced from such research

eth·no·his·to·ry [,eth-nō-'his-t(ə-)rē] -n, adj

  1. a study of the development of cultures

eth·nol·o·gy [eth-'nä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. a science that deals with the division of human beings into races and their origin, distribution, relations, and characteristics
  2. anthropology dealing chiefly with the comparative and analytical study of cultures : cultural anthropology

eth·no·med·i·cine [,eth-nō-'me-də-sən, Brit usu -'med-sən] -n, adj

  1. the comparative study of how different cultures view disease and how they treat or prevent it
  2. the medical beliefs and practices of indigenous cultures

eth·no·meth·od·ol·o·gy [,eth-nō-,me-thə-'dä-lə-jē] -n

  1. a branch of sociology dealing with nonspecialists' commonsense understanding of the structure and organization of society

eth·no·mu·si·col·o·gy [,eth-nō-,myü-zi-'kä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. the study of music that is outside the European art tradition
  2. the study of music in a sociocultural context

eth·no·sci·ence ['eth-nō-,sī-ən(t)s] -n

  1. the study of a culture's system of classifying knowledge (as its taxonomy of plants and animals)
  2. such a system in a particular culture

ethol·o·gy [ē-'thä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. a branch of knowledge dealing with human character and with its formation and evolution
  2. the scientific and objective study of animal behavior esp. under natural conditions

ethos ['ē-,thäs] -n

  1. the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution
  2. ethic

eth·oxy [e-'thäk-sē] -adj

  1. relating to or containing the monovalent radical CH 3CH 2O composed of ethyl united with oxygen

eth·yl ['e-thəl] -n, adj

  1. an alkyl radical CH 3CH 2 derived from ethane

ethyl acetate -n

  1. a colorless fragrant volatile flammable liquid ester C 4H 8O 2used esp. as a solvent

ethyl alcohol -n

  1. ethanol

eth·yl·ben·zene [,e-thil-'ben-,zēn] -n

  1. a liquid aromatic hydrocarbon C 8H 10used chiefly in the manufacture of styrene

ethyl cellulose -n

  1. any of various thermoplastic substances used esp. in plastics and lacquers

ethyl chloride -n

  1. a colorless pungent flammable gaseous or volatile liquid C 2H 5Cl used esp. as a topical anesthetic

eth·yl·ene ['e-thə-,lēn] -n, adj

  1. a colorless flammable gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon C 2H 4that is found in coal gas, can be produced by pyrolysis of petroleum hydrocarbons, and occurs in plants functioning esp. as a natural growth regulator that promotes the ripening of fruit
  2. a divalent hydrocarbon group C 2H 4derived from ethane

eth·yl·ene·di·amine·tet·ra·ac·e·tate [,e-thə-,lēn-,dī-ə-,mēn-,te-trə-'a-sə-,tāt, -dī-,a-mən-] -n

  1. a salt of EDTA

eth·yl·ene·di·amine·tet·ra·ace·tic acid [-(ə-)'sē-tik-] -n

  1. edta

ethylene di·bro·mide [-(,)dī-'brō-,mīd] -n

  1. a colorless toxic liquid compound C 2H 4Br 2that is used chiefly as a fuel additive in leaded gasolines, that has been found to be strongly carcinogenic in laboratory animals, and that was used formerly in the U.S. as an agricultural pesticide abbr. EDB

ethylene glycol -n

  1. a thick liquid diol C 2H 6O 2used esp. as an antifreeze and in making polyester fibers

ethylene oxide -n

  1. a colorless flammable toxic compound C 2H 4O used esp. in synthesis (as of ethylene glycol) and in sterilization and fumigation

ethyl ether -n

  1. ether

eth·yne ['e-,thīn, e-'] -n

  1. acetylene

ethynyl [e-'thī-nᵊl, 'e-thə-,nil] -n

(variant of ethinyl)

  1. a monovalent unsaturated radical HCC derived from acetylene by removal of one hydrogen atom

et·ic ['e-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or involving analysis of cultural phenomena from the perspective of one who does not participate in the culture being studied

et·i·dro·nate [,ē-tə-'drō-,nāt, ,e-] -n

  1. a white sodium salt C 2H 6Na 2O 7P 2that inhibits the formation, growth, and dissolution of hydroxyapatite crystals and is administered orally in the treatment of some bone diseases (as Paget's disease of bone) called also etidronate disodium

eti·o·late ['ē-tē-ə-,lāt] -vt, n

  1. to bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight
  2. to make pale
  3. to deprive of natural vigor : make feeble

eti·o·log·ic [,ē-tē-ə-'lä-jik] -adj, adv

  1. assigning or seeking to assign a cause
  2. of or relating to etiology

eti·ol·o·gy [,ē-tē-'ä-lə-jē] -n

  1. cause, origin
  2. the cause of a disease or abnormal condition
  3. a branch of knowledge concerned with causes
  4. a branch of medical science concerned with the causes and origins of diseases

et·i·quette ['e-ti-kət, -,ket] -n

  1. the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life

ETO -abbr

  1. European theater of operations

Eton collar [,ē-tᵊn-] -n

  1. a large stiff turnover collar

Eto·ni·an [ē-'tō-nē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a student or former student of Eton College

Eton jacket -n

  1. a short black jacket with long sleeves, wide lapels, and an open front

etouf·fee [,ā-tü-'fā] -n

  1. a Cajun stew of shellfish or chicken served over rice

Etru·ri·an [i-'tru̇r-ē-ən] -n, adj

  1. etruscan

Etrus·can [i-'trəs-kən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Etruria, the Etruscans, or the Etruscan language

Etruscan -n

  1. the language of the Etruscans which is of uncertain affiliation
  2. a native or inhabitant of ancient Etruria

et seq -abbr

  1. and the following one;
  2. and the following ones

etude ['ā-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. a piece of music for the practice of a point of technique
  2. a composition built on a technical motive but played for its artistic value

etui [ā-'twē, 'ā-,] -n

  1. a small ornamental case

et ux -abbr

  1. and wife

ETV -abbr

  1. educational television

et·y·mol·o·gise [-,jīz] -vb

(variant of etymologize)

  1. to discover, formulate, or state an etymology for
  2. to study or formulate etymologies

et·y·mol·o·gist [,e-tə-'mä-lə-jist] -n

  1. a specialist in etymology

et·y·mol·o·gize [-,jīz] -vb

  1. to discover, formulate, or state an etymology for
  2. to study or formulate etymologies

et·y·mol·o·gy [-jē] -n, adj, adv

  1. the history of a linguistic form (as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language
  2. a branch of linguistics concerned with etymologies

et·y·mon ['e-tə-,män] -n

  1. an earlier form of a word in the same language or an ancestral language
  2. a word in a foreign language that is the source of a particular loanword
  3. a word or morpheme from which words are formed by composition or derivation