|
| earmark |
v. ~ sb/sth (for sth/sb) assign or set aside sb/sth (to or for a special purpose) |
| earn |
v. get (money) by working |
| earthly |
adj. of this world; not spiritual |
| earthy |
adj. of or like earth or soil |
| ebb |
v. ~ (of the tide) go out; recede ; |
| ebullient |
adj. full of energy and excitement; exuberant ; |
| eccentric |
adj. unusual; peculiar; not conventional or normal |
| eccentricity |
n. quality of being eccentric; strangeness of behaviour, etc |
| ecclesiastic |
n. clergyman |
| eclectic |
adj. (of people, beliefs, etc) not restricted to one source of ideas, etc, but choosing from or using a wide range |
| eclipse |
n. blocking of the light of the sun or of the moon (when the earth's shadow falls on it) |
| ecliptic |
(Astronomy) a the great circle on the celestial sphere representing the apparent annual path of the sun relative to the stars. |
| economy |
n. avoidance of waste (of money, strength, time, resources, etc) |
| ecosystem |
n. ecological unit consisting of a group of plants and living creatures interacting with each other and with their surroundings |
| ecstasy |
n. great joy or happiness |
| eddy |
n. circular or spiral movement of water, air, fog, dust, etc |
| edict |
n. order or proclamation issued by an authority |
| edifice |
n. large or imposing building |
| edify |
v. (fml or joc ) improve the mind or character of (sb) |
| eerie |
adj. causing a feeling of mystery and fear |
| efface |
v. rub or wipe (sth) out; cause to fade |
| effective |
adj. having an effect; producing the intended result |
| effectual |
adj. (not used of people) producing the intended result |
| effectuate |
to cause to happen; effect; accomplish |
| effeminate |
adj. (of a man or his behaviour) like a woman; unmanly |
| effervescence |
(n.) liveliness; spirit; enthusiasm; bubbliness |
| effete |
adj. weak, having lost power |
| efficacy |
n. state or quality of being efficacious |
| effigy |
n. carved figure or model representing a person or animal |
| effluvium |
noxious smell |
| effrontery |
n. boldness or rudeness without shame; impertinence |
| effulgent |
radiant splendor:BRILLIANCE |
| effusion |
n. pouring out, esp of liquid |
| effusive |
adj. showing (too much) feeling; too emotional |
| ego |
n. individual's perception or experience of himself, esp in relation to other people or to the outside world; part of the mind that can think, feel and act |
| egoism |
n. state of mind in which one is always thinking about oneself and what is best for oneself |
| egotism |
n. practice of talking too often or too much about oneself; selfishness ; |
| egotistical |
[ egotist: ] a conceited boastful person |
| egregious |
adj. (usu of sb/sth bad ) exceptional; outstanding |
| egress |
n. (right of) going out |
| ejaculation |
n. sudden discharge or ejection of fluid, esp semen, from the body |
| elaborate |
adj. very detailed and complicated; carefully prepared and finished |
| elaboration |
addition of details; intricacy |
| elastic |
adj. returning to its normal or previous size or shape after being pulled or pressed |
| elated |
adj. ~ in high spirits; very happy or proud |
| elegy |
n. poem or song expressing sorrow, esp for the dead; lament ; |
| elevation |
n. elevating or being elevated |
| elicit |
v. ~ sth (fml ) draw (facts, a response, etc) from sb, sometimes with difficulty |
| elixir |
n. imaginary substance with which medieval scientists hoped to change metals into gold or make people live for ever |
| ellipsis |
n. (grammar) (instance of) leaving out a word or words from (the grammatical structure of) a sentence when the meaning can be understood without it/them |
| elliptical |
adj. containing ellipsis |
| elope |
v. ~ run away with a lover, esp to get married |
| eloquence |
n. expressive language, esp to impress or persuade an audience |
| elucidate |
v. make (sth) clear; explain |
| elusive |
adj. tending to escape or disappear; difficult to capture |
| elysian |
adj. the Elysian fields |
| Elysium |
n. (in Greek myths) home of the blessed after death |
| emaciated |
adj. made thin and weak |
| emanate |
v. ~ from sth/sb come or flow from sth/sb |
| emancipate |
v. ~ sb set sb free, esp from political, legal or social restrictions |
| emasculate |
v. remove the sexual organs of (a male animal); castrate ; |
| embargo |
n. (on sth) official order that forbids sth, esp trade, the movement of ships, etc |
| embark |
v. ~ (cause sb/sth to) go or be taken on board a ship or an aircraft |
| embed |
to enclose closely in or as if in a matrix |
| embellish |
v. ~ sth make sth beautiful by adding ornaments, etc |
| embezzlement |
n. embezzling |
| embitter |
v. fill with bitter feelings |
| emblazon |
v. decorate with heraldic or other devices |
| embody |
v. ~ sth (in sth) (fml ) express or give visible form to (ideas, feelings, etc) |
| emboss |
raise in a relief |
| embrace |
close encircling with the arms and pressure to the bosom especially as a sign of affection:HUG |
| embroider |
v. ~ A ~ B (with A) decorate (cloth) with needlework |
| embroil |
throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle |
| embryonic |
adj. in an early stage of development |
| emend |
v. remove errors from |
| emendation |
n. action of emending |
| emetic |
n, adj causing vomiting |
| eminent |
adj. famous and distinguished |
| emissary |
n. person sent to deliver a message or to conduct negotiations |
| emollient |
n, adj that soothes and softens the skin |
| emolument |
n. (fml or rhet ) profit made from being employed; fee or salary |
| empathy |
n. ability to imagine and share another person's feelings, experience, etc |
| empirical |
adj. based on observation or experiment, not on theory |
| emulate |
v. ~ sb (fml ) try to do as well as or better than sb |
| enact |
v. perform (a part, play, etc) on, or as if on, the stage of a theatre |
| enamored |
(adj.) filled with love and desire |
| encipher |
convert ordinary language into code |
| encircle |
v. form a circle round; surround |
| enclave |
n. small territory of one state surrounded by that of another |
| encomiastic |
[ encomiast: ] en"comi'astic, en"comi'astical adjective |
| encomium |
n. (fml ) very high praise in speech or writing |
| encompass |
v. include or comprise sth |
| encroachment |
n. ~ (fml ) action of encroaching |
| encumber |
to impede or hamper the function or activity of:HINDER |
| endear |
v. ~ sb/oneself to sb make sb/oneself loved or liked by sb |
| endearment |
n. word or expression of affection |
| endemic |
n, adj that is regularly found in a particular country or area, or among a particular group of people |
| endorse |
v. write one's name on the back of |
| endue |
v. ~ sb with sth provide or supply sb with a good quality, ability etc |
| enduring |
adj. continuing in existence; lasting |
| energize |
invigorate; make forceful and active |
| enervate |
v. cause to lose strength or energy |
| enfranchise |
v. give (sb) political rights, esp the right to vote at parliamentary elections |
| engage |
v. ~ sb (fml ) arrange to employ sb; hire sb |
| engaged |
adj. busy; occupied |
| engaging |
adj. likely to attract or occupy the attention; charming |
| engender |
v. be the cause of (a situation or condition) |
| engross |
v. occupy all the time or attention of (sb) |
| engulf |
v. (of the sea, flames, etc) surround (sth) or cause (sth) to disappear; envelop |
| enhance |
v. increase make (sb/sth) look better |
| enigma |
n. question, person, thing, circumstance, etc that is difficult to understand; mystery |
| enigmatic |
adj. difficult to understand; mysterious |
| enjoin |
v. ~ sth (fml or law ) impose (an action or prohibition) on sb; order |
| enlist |
v. ~ (in/for sth); ~ (sb) (as sth) enter or cause (sb) to enter the armed forces |
| enliven |
v. make more lively or cheerful |
| enmity |
n. condition or feeling of being an enemy; hostility |
| ennui |
n. weariness of mind caused by lack of anything interesting or exciting to do; feeling of boredom |
| enormity |
n. great wickedness |
| enrapture |
v. fill (sb) with great delight or joy |
| ensconce |
v. ~ oneself/sb in sth establish or settle oneself in a safe, secret, comfortable, etc place |
| ensue |
v. ~ happen afterwards or as a result; follow |
| entail |
v. make necessary; involve |
| enterprise |
n. project or undertaking, esp one that is difficult or needs courage |
| enterprising |
adj. having or showing enterprise(2) |
| enthrall |
capture; make slave |
| entice |
v. ~ sb (from sth); ~ sb (into sth/doing sth) try to tempt or persuade sb, usu by offering sth pleasant or a reward |
| entity |
n. thing with distinct and real existence |
| entomology |
n. scientific study of insects |
| entourage |
n. all those who accompany and attend an important person |
| entrance |
n. ~ opening, gate, door, passage, etc by which one enters sth |
| entreat |
v. ~ sb (fml ) ask sb (for sth) earnestly and feelingly; beg |
| entree |
n. ~ (into sth) right or privilege of admission or entry |
| entrepreneur |
n. person who starts or organizes a commercial enterprise, esp one involving financial risk |
| enumerate |
v. name one by one; count |
| enunciate |
v. say or pronounce clearly |
| environ |
enclose; surround |
| eon |
n. an indefinitely long period of time |
| epaulet |
an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder |
| ephemeral |
adj. living, lasting, etc for a very short time |
| epic |
n. long poem about the deeds of one or more great heroes, or a nation's past history |
| epicure |
n. person who takes a special interest in and gets great pleasure from food and drink |
| epicurean |
n, adj fond of pleasure and luxury |
| epigram |
n. short poem or saying expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way |
| epilogue |
n. part or section added at the end of a book, play, film, programme, etc, as a comment on the main action |
| episodic |
adj. occurring irregularly; sporadic |
| epistemologist |
[ epistemology: ] e"piste'mologist nou |
| epitaph |
n. words written or said about a dead person, esp words inscribed on a tombstone |
| epithet |
n. adjective or descriptive phrase that refers to the character or most important quality of sb/sth eg Alfred the Great, Attila the Hun , |
| epitome |
n. thing that shows on a small scale all the characteristics of sth much larger |
| epoch |
n. period of time in history, life, the history of the earth, etc, esp one marked by notable events or characteristics |
| equable |
adj. free from extremes of heat or cold; moderate |
| equanimity |
n. calmness of mind or temper |
| equestrian |
adj. of horse-riding |
| equilibrium |
n. state of being balanced |
| equine |
adj. of or like a horse or horses |
| equinox |
n. either of the two times in the year (around |
| equipoise |
n. balanced state, esp of the mind; equilibrium ; |
| equitable |
adj. fair and just; reasonable |
| equity |
n. fairness; right judgement |
| equivocal |
adj. having a double or doubtful meaning; ambiguous |
| equivocate |
v. speak in an ambiguous way to hide the truth or mislead people |
| erode |
v. destroy or wear (sth) away gradually |
| erotic |
adj. of or arousing sexual desire |
| errant |
adj. doing wrong; misbehaving |
| erratic |
adj. irregular or uneven in movement, quality or behaviour; unreliable |
| erroneous |
adj. incorrect; mistaken |
| erudite |
adj. having or showing great learning; scholarly |
| escapade |
n. daring, mischievous or adventurous act; prank |
| eschew |
v. keep away from (sth); abstain from; avoid |
| esoteric |
adj. likely to be understood by only those with a special knowledge or interest; mysterious; obscure |
| espionage |
n. practice of spying or using spies to obtain secret information |
| espouse |
v. give one's support to (a cause, theory, etc) |
| esteem |
v. (not used in the continuous tenses ) have a high opinion of (sb/sth); respect greatly |
| estimable |
adj. worthy of great respect |
| estranged |
[ estrange: ] [usually passive; often foll by from] to separate and live apart from (one's spouse) |
| ethereal |
adj. of unearthly delicacy and lightness; seeming too spiritual or fairy-like for this world |
| ethnic |
adj. of a national, racial or tribal group that has a common cultural tradition |
| ethnology |
n. science of the different human races, their characteristics, relations to one another, etc |
| ethos |
n. characteristic spirit, moral values, ideas or beliefs of a group, community or culture |
| etymology |
n. study of the origin and history of words and their meanings |
| eugenic |
pertaining to the improvement of race |
| eulogistic |
adj. full of high praise |
| eulogy |
n. (speech or piece of writing containing) high praise of a person or thing |
| euphemism |
n. use of pleasant, mild or indirect words or phrases in place of more accurate or direct ones |
| euphony |
n. pleasantness of sound, esp in words |
| euphoria |
n. intense feeling of happiness and pleasant excitement |
| euthanasia |
n. gentle and painless death for a person suffering from a painful incurable disease, extreme old age, etc |
| evanescent |
adj. quickly fading; soon disappearing from memory |
| evasive |
adj. having the aim or intention of avoiding capture, of not giving a direct answer, etc |
| evenhanded |
without partiality |
| eventual |
adj. happening at last as a result; ultimate |
| evince |
v. show clearly that one has (a feeling, quality, etc); exhibit |
| evocative |
adj. ~ that evokes or is able to evoke memories, feelings, etc (of sth) |
| evoke |
v. bring to mind (a feeling, memory, etc); summon up |
| ewe |
n. female sheep |
| exacerbate |
v. make (pain, disease, a situation) worse; aggravate |
| exact |
adj. correct in every detail; precise |
| exacting |
adj. making great demands; requiring great effort |
| exalt |
v. make (sb) higher in rank or greater in power |
| exasperate |
v. irritate or annoy greatly |
| except |
prep ~ ~ (that...) not including (sb/sth); but not |
| exceptionable |
adj. that sb can object to |
| excerpt |
n. ~ passage, extract, from a book, film, piece of music, etc |
| exchequer |
n. the Exchequer government department in charge of public money |
| excise |
n. government tax on certain goods manufactured, sold or used within a country |
| exclaim |
v. cry out suddenly and loudly from pain, anger, surprise, etc |
| excoriate |
to censure scathingly |
| exculpate |
v. ~ sb (fml ) free sb from blame; say that sb is not guilty |
| execrable |
adj. verybad; terrible |
| execrate |
to declare to be evil or detestable:DENOUNCE |
| execute |
v. carry out, perform (what one is asked or told to do) |
| executioner |
n. public official who carries out a death sentence |
| executive |
adj. concerned with the management and carrying out of plans, decisions, etc |
| executor |
n. person who is appointed by the maker of a will to carry out the terms of the will |
| exegesis |
n. (fml ) explanation and interpretation of a written work, esp the Bible , |
| exemplary |
adj. serving as an example; suitable for imitation |
| exemplify |
v. be a typical example of (sth) |
| exempt |
adj. ~ free from an obligation, duty or payment; not liable |
| exertion |
n. action of applying influence, etc |
| exhale |
v. breathe (sth) out |
| exhilarating |
adj. very exciting; causing happiness |
| exhort |
v. ~ sb (fml ) advise sb strongly or earnestly; urge sb |
| exhume |
v. take from the ground (for examination) |
| exigency |
n. (condition of) urgent need or demand; emergency |
| exiguous |
adj. very small (in amount); scanty |
| existential |
adj. of or relating to (esp human) existence |
| exodus |
n. ~ (to...) (fml or joc ) departure of many people at one time |
| exonerate |
to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship |
| exorbitant |
adj. (of a price, charge, etc) much too high or great; unreasonable |
| exorcise |
drive out evil spirits |
| exotic |
adj. introduced from another country; not native |
| expansive |
adj. able or tending to expand |
| expatiate |
v. ~ on/upon sth write or speak at great length or in detail about a subject |
| expatriate |
n. person living outside his own country |
| expedient |
adj. useful, helpful or advisable for a particular purpose, though not necessarily fair or moral |
| expedite |
v. help the progress of (work, business, etc); hasten or speed up |
| expeditious |
adj. done with speed and efficiency |
| expenditure |
n. action of spending or using |
| expertise |
n. expert knowledge or skill, esp in a particular field |
| expiate |
v. accept punishment for (wrong one has done) and do something to show one is sorry; make up for |
| expletive |
n. violent (often meaningless) exclamation said in anger, pain, etc; swear-word |
| explicate |
v. explain and analyse (esp an idea, a statement or a work of literature) in detail |
| explicit |
adj. (of a statement, etc) clearly and fully expressed |
| exploit |
n. brave or adventurous deed or action |
| expository |
serving to expound or set fourth |
| expostulation |
n. protest; reasoned persuasion, etc |
| exposure |
n. action of exposing or state of being exposed |
| expound |
v. ~ sth (fml ) explain or make sth clear by giving details |
| expropriate |
v. ~ sth (from sb) take away (property, etc) for public use without payment to the owner |
| expunge |
v. ~ sth (fml ) remove or wipe out (words, names, etc) from a list, book, etc |
| expurgate |
v. remove improper or objectionable parts from (a book, etc) |
| exquisite |
adj. extremely beautiful or delicate; finely or skilfully made or done |
| extant |
adj. still in existence |
| extemporaneous |
adj. spoken or done without preparation; extempore ; |
| extenuate |
v. make (wrongdoing) less serious (by providing an excuse) |
| extirpate |
v. remove or destroy (sth) completely |
| extol |
v. ~sb (as sth) (fml ) praise (sb/sth) highly |
| extort |
v. ~ sth obtain sth by violence, threats, etc |
| extradition |
surrender of prisoner by one state to another |
| extraneous |
adj. ~ not belonging to or directly connected with the subject or matter being dealt with |
| extrapolation |
n. ~ (fml ) |
| extricate |
v. ~ sb/sth (fml ) set sb/sth free; release sb/sth ; |
| extrinsic |
adj. ~ (fml ) (of qualities, values, etc) not belonging to or part of the real nature of a person or thing; coming from outside |
| extrovert |
n. person more interested in what is happening around him than in his own thoughts and emotions |
| extrude |
v. ~ sth (fml ) force or squeeze out sth under pressure |
| exuberance |
n. state or quality of being exuberant |
| exuberant |
adj. overflowing with happiness and excitement; very lively and cheerful |
| exude |
v. ~ (sth) (from/through sth) (of drops of liquid, etc) come or pass out slowly; ooze out |
| exult |
v. ~ (at/in sth) get great pleasure from sth; rejoice greatly |
