E – F
edify(ED i FY) vt.to instruct so as to enlighten or improve morally, intellectually,
or spiritually
- It might edifyyou to know that by the time Mozart was 13, he had been
appointed honorary concertmaster at the Court of Salzburg. - Watching how a building is constructed can be a very edifyingexperience
(no pun intended). - Edifymeans to build, but that usage is pretty much obsolete by now.
[edified, -ing, edification n.]
egalitarian(ee GAL i TER ee in) adj. advocating that people should all have
equal social, economic, and political rights —n. one who so advocates - The so-called ERA, or Equal Rights Amendment, for women was supported
by egalitariangroups. - Egalitarianssupported the civil rights movement of the late 1960s.
elegy(EL i gee) n. 1. a song or poem of praise for the dead; 2. any mournful
song or poem - Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is an elegythat laments
the loss of ordinary people. - Shelly’s “Adonais” is an elegymourning the death of John Keats.
elemental(EL im EN til) adj. 1. of or like natural forces; typical of the physical
universe; 2. basic and powerful rather than subtle or refined; 3. of any of the four
traditional elements (earth, air, fire, and water) traditionally thought to comprise
all things - It is elementalthat satellites orbit their planets.
- The force of an erupting volcano is elementalin its power.
- Hunger is an elementaldrive; the urge to be entertained is not.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. basic]
elucidate(il OO si DAYT) vt. to clear up (especially something abstract); to
explain - Please elucidateon the subject of why you did not come home last night
until after midnight. - Mrs. Jones would appreciate your elucidatingon Einstein’s theory of relativ-
ity so that it is clear to her whether you understand it.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. explain]
emaciate(im AY shee AYT) vt. to cause to grow excessively thin; to cause to
waste away - Starvation emaciatesthe body.
- People suffering from anorexia emaciate.
[-d, emaciating, emaciation n.] [Syn. thin, waste away]
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