E Flashcards
Earthy
unrefined; coarse
His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in the audience.
ebb
recede; lessen
His fortunes began to ebb during the recession.
ebullient
showing excitement, overflowing wth enthusiasm
His ebullient nature could not be repressed.
eclectic
selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources
His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique color.
eddy
swirling current of water, air, etc.
The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.
edify
instruct; correct morally
Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused and not enlightened.
eerie
weird
In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.
efface
rub out
The coin had been handled so many times that its data had been effaced.
effectual
efficient
If we are to succeed, we must seek effectual means of securing our goals.
effeminate
having womanly traits
His voice was high-pitched and effeminate.
effervescence
inner excitement; exuberance
Nothing depressed her for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself.
effete
worn out; exhausted; barren
The literature of the age reflected the effete condition of the writers; no new ideas were forthcoming.
effluvium
noxious smell
Air pollution has become a serious problem in our major cities; the effluvium and the poisons in the air are hazards to life.
effrontery
shameless boldness
She had the effrontery to insult the guest.
effusion
pouring forth
The critics objected to her literary effusion because it was too flowery.
effusive
pouring forth; gushing
Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them.
egoism
excessive interest in one’s self; belief that one should be interested in one’s self rather than in others
His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his colleagues.
egotism
conceit; vanity
She thought so much of herself that we found her egotism unwarranted and irritating.
egregious
notorious; conspicuously bad; shocking
She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.
egress
exit
Barnum’s sign “To the Egress” fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and instead found themselves in the street.
ejaculation
exclamation
He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.
elaboration
addition of details; intricacy
Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration.
elated
overjoyed; in high spirits
Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her Olympic victory.
elegy
poem or song expressing lamentation
On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy “Lycidas.”
elicit
draw out by discussion
The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.
ellipsis
omission of words from a text
Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence “Once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad.
elucidate
explain; enlighten
He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.
elysian
relating to paradise; blissful
An afternoon sail on the bay was for her an elysian journey.
emaciated
thin and wasted
His long period of starvation had left him emaciated.
emancipate
set free
At first, the attempts of the Abolitioninst to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well as in the South.
embargo
ban on commerce or other activity
As a result of the embargo, trade with colonies was at a standstill.
embark
commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey
In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost her her life.
embellish
adorn
My mother-in-law’s stories about her journey from Russia made us laugh because she embellished the bare facts of her travels with humourous acecdotes.
embezzlement
stealing
The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.
embroil
throw into confusion
He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.
emend
correct, usually a text
The critic emended the book by retranslating several passages.
emendation
correction of errors; improvement
Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract.
emetic
substance causing vomiting
The use of an emetic like mustard is useful in cases of poisoning.
eminent
high; lofty
After his appointment to this emiment position, he seldom had time for his former friends.
emollient
soothing or softening remedy
He applied an emollient to the inflamed area.
emolument
salary; compensation
In addition to the emolument this position offers, you must consider the social prestige it carries with it.
empirical
based on experience
He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.
emulate
rival; imitate
As long as our political leaders emulate the virtues of the great leaders of this country, we shall flourish.
enclave
territory enclosed within an alien land
The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.
encomiastic
praising; eulogistic
Some critics believe that his encomiastic statements about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for material advancement rather than by an honest belief in the Emperor’s genius.
encomiun
high praise; eulogy
Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.
encroachment
gradual intrusion
The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.
encumber
burden
Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage, when they take short trips.
endearment
fond word or act
Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.
endemic
prevailinig among a specific group of people or in a specific are or country
This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or another affected by it.
endue
provide with some quality; endow
He was endued with a lion’s courage.
enervate
weaken
She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window evervated her.
enfranchise
admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote)
Although blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.
engender
cause, produce
To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.
engross
occupy fully
John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.
enmity
ill will; hatred
At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel from living in peace.
ennui
boredom
The monotonous routine of hopital life induced a feeling of ennui which made him moody and irritable.
enrapture
please intensely
The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.
