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An American Dictionary of the English Language

by Noah Webster

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

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  1. E-pis'co-pate, n.p. 457A bishopric; the office and dignity of a bishop. 2. The collective body of bishops.
  2. E-pĭs'co-pāte, v. i.p. 457To act as a bishop; to fill the office of a prelate. [Obs.] “Feeding the flock and episcopating.” Milton.
  3. E-pis'eo-pi-cide, n.p. 457The killing of a bishop.
  4. E-pis'co-py, n.p. 457Survey; superintendence. [Obs.] Milton.
  5. Ep'i-sōd'al, a.p. 457The same as EPISODIC.
  6. Ĕp'i-sōde, n.p. 457(Rhet.) A separate incident, story, or action, introduced for the purpose of giving a greater variety to the events related; an incidental narrative, or digression, separable from the main subject…
  7. Ĕp'i-sō'di-al, a.p. 457Pertaining to an episode; by way of episode; episodic.
  8. Ep'i-sōd'ie or Ep'i-sōd'ie-al, a.p. 457Pertaining to an episode; contained in an episode or digression.
  9. Ĕp'i-sōd'ie-al-ly, adv.p. 457By way of episode.
  10. Ep'i-spās'tic, a.p. 457(Med.) Attracting the humors to the skin; exciting action in the skin; blistering.
  11. Ep'i-spăs'tic, n.p. 457(Med.) An external application to the skin, which produces a puriform or serous discharge by exciting inflammation; a vesicatory.
  12. Ĕp'i-spĕrm, n.p. 457(Bot.) The skin or coat of a seed, especially the outer coat. Gray.
  13. Ĕp'i-spĕrm'ic, a.p. 457(Bot.) Pertaining to, or belonging to, the episperm, or covering of a seed.
  14. Ĕp'i-stăx'is, n.p. 457(Med.) The act or state of bleeding from the nose.
  15. E-pĭs'te-mŏl'o-gy, n.p. 457The theory or science of the method or grounds of knowledge.
  16. Ĕp'/i-stĕr'/nal, a.p. 457(Anat.) Adjoining the sternal pieces on either side, as in a turtle. Dunglison.
  17. Ep'is-thōl'o-nōs, n.p. 457(Med.) A spasmodic affection in which the body is bent forward. Brande.
  18. Ĕp'i-stĭl'bīte, n.p. 457(Min.) A crystallized, transparent mineral, consisting chiefly of the silicates of alumina and lime.
  19. E-pis'tle, n.p. 457A writing directed or sent to a person at a distance; a letter; a letter missive.
  20. E-pĭs'tle, v. t.p. 457To write; to communicate in a letter or by writing. [Obs.] Milton.
  21. E-pĭs'tler, n.p. 457A writer of epistles. [Obs.] 2. One who attends the communion table and reads the Epistles. [Obs.] Bailey.
  22. E·pis'to-lar, a.p. 457Epistolary. Sir T. More.
  23. E-pis'to-la-ry, a.p. 457Pertaining to epistles or letters; suitable to letters and correspondence; as, an epistolary style. 2. Contained in letters; carried on by letters. “A free epistolary correspondence.” W. Mason.
  24. E-pis'to-lēt, n.p. 457A short letter or epistle. C. Lamb.
  25. Ep'is-tōl'ic or Ep'is-tōl'ic-al, a.p. 457Pertaining to letters or epistles; epistolary. 2. Designating the method of representing ideas by letters and words.
  26. E-pis'to-līze, v. i.p. 457To write epistles. Howell.
  27. E-pis'to-līz'er, n.p. 457A writer of epistles. Howell.
  28. E·pis'to-lo-grāph'ie, a.p. 457Pertaining to the writing of letters; epistolary. Epistolographic characters, or mode of writing, the same as DEMOTIC. See DEMOTIC.
  29. E-pĭs'to-lŏg'ra-phy, n.p. 457The art or practice of writing letters.
  30. E-pis'to-mā, n.p. 458(Conch.) The space between the antennæ and the cavity of the mouth in crustaceous animals.
  31. E-pĭs'tro-phe, n.p. 458(Rhet.) A figure in which several successive clauses or sentences end with the same word or affirmation; as, “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I.” 2 Cor. xi. 22.
  32. Ĕp′i-stȳle, n.p. 458(Anc. Arch.) A massive piece of stone or wood laid immediately on the abacus of the capital of a column or pillar; — now called architrave. Gwill.
  33. Ĕp'i-tăph, n.p. 458An inscription on a monument, in honor or in memory of the dead. Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb. Shak. 2. A brief descriptive sentence, in prose or verse, formed as if to be inscribed on a…
  34. Ĕp'i-tā'phi-an or Ĕp'i-tăph'ic, a.p. 458Pertaining to, or having the nature of, an epitaph. Milton.
  35. Ĕp'i-tăph'ist, n.p. 458A writer of epitaphs.
  36. E-pĭt'a-sĭs, n.p. 458That part which embraces the main action of a play, poem, and the like, and leads on to the catastrophe; — opposed to protasis. See PROTASIS. 2. (Med.) The period of violence in a fever or disease…
  37. Ep-i-tha-lām'ic, a.p. 458Belonging to, or designed for, an epithalamium.
  38. Ep'i-tha-lā'mi-ăm or Ep'i-thāl'a-myp. 458n. [Gr. ἐπιθαλάμιον (sc. μέλος), from ἐπιθαλάμιος, belonging to a bridal, nuptial, from ἐπί and θάλαμος, bride-chamber, bridal bed, marriage; Lat. epithalamium, Fr. épithalame.] A nuptial song or…
  39. Ĕp'i-thē'lĭ-ŭm, n.p. 458(Anat.) The layer of minute cells or scales which forms the covering of many animal membranes. It enters also into the structure of glandular organs.
  40. Ep'i-them, n.p. 458(Med.) Any external topical application to the body, except ointments and plasters; lotion.
  41. Ĕp'i-thet, n.p. 458An adjective expressing some quality, attribute, or relation, that is properly or specially appropriate to a person or thing; as, a verdant lawn; a brilliant appearance; a just man; an accurate…
  42. Ĕp'ĭ-thĕt, v. t.p. 458To describe by epithets. [R.] Wotton.
  43. Ep'i-thĕt'ic, a.p. 458Pertaining to, consisting of, or abounding in, epithets. “Epithetic measured prose.” Lloyd.
  44. E-pĭth'e-ton, n.p. 458An epithet. [Obs.] Shak.
  45. Ep'i-thite, n.p. 458A lazy, worthless fellow; a vagrant. [Obs.] Mason.
  46. Ep-i-tith'i-dēs, n.p. 458(Arch.) The upper member of the cornice of an entablature.
  47. Ĕp'i-thu-mēt'ic or Ĕp'i-thu-mēt'ic-al, a.p. 458Inclined to lust; pertaining to the animal passion. [Obs.] Browne.
  48. E-pĭt'o-me, n.p. 458A compendium containing the substance or principal matters of a book; a brief summary; an abridgment. In general nothing is less attractive than an epitome. Macaulay. Syn.—Abridgment; compendium…
  49. E-pĭt'o-mĭst, n.p. 458One who makes an epitome; an epitomizer. Milton.
  50. E-pit'o-mize, v. t.p. 458To abstract, in a summary, the principal matters of; to shorten or abridge, as a writing or discourse; to contract into a narrower compass; as, to epitomize an author. 2. To diminish, as by cutting…
  51. E-pĭt'o-mīz'er, n.p. 458One who abridges; a writer of an epitome.
  52. Ĕp'i-trīte, n.p. 458(Gr. & Lat. Pros.) A foot consisting of three long syllables and one short one, and called first, second, third, and fourth epitrite, according as the short syllable stands as first, second, third…
  53. Ĕp'/i-trō'/choid, n.p. 458(Geom.) A kind of curve. See EPICYCLOID.
  54. E-pĭt'ro-pe, n.p. 458(Rhet.) A figure by which a permission, either seriously or ironically, is granted to an opponent, to do what he proposes to do; as, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.” Rev. xxii. 11.
  55. Ep'i-zeu'-xis, n.p. 458(Rhet.) A figure by which a word is repeated with vehemence or emphasis, as in the following lines: — Alone, alone, all all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea. Coleridge.
  56. Ĕp′/i-zō′an, n.p. 458(Zoöl.) Same as EPIZOŌN.
  57. Ēp′i-zō′ōn, n.p. 458(Zoöl.) One of a class of parasitic insects or worms that live upon other animals, such as lice, acari, the parasitic crustaceans found on fishes and other water animals, and the like;—opposed to…
  58. Ĕp′i-zo-ōt′ic, a.p. 458Pertaining to the animals called epizoa. 2. (Geol.) Containing fossil remains;—said of rocks, formations, mountains, and the like. [Obs.] Epizootic mountains are of secondary formation. Kirwan. 3.…
  59. Epi-zo'ō-ty, n.p. 458A murrain or pestilence among brute animals.
  60. Ĕp'och or Ĕp'o-chē, n.p. 458A fixed point of time, from which succeeding years are numbered; a period of time, longer or shorter, remarkable for events of great subsequent influence. “An epoch in the history of astronomy.”…