Electron - Elevatory
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Electro-muscular (?), a. (Physiol.) Pertaining to the reaction (contraction) of the muscles under electricity, or their sensibility to it.
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Electron (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 'hlektron. See .] 1. Amber; also, the alloy of gold and silver, called electrum. [archaic]
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2. (Physics & Chem.) one of the fundamental subatomic particles, having a negative charge and about one thousandth the mass of a hydrogen atom. The electron carries (or is) a natural unit of negative electricity, equal to 3.4 x 10-10 electrostatic units, and is classed by physicists as a . Its mass is practically constant at the lesser speeds, but increases due to relativistic effects as the velocity approaches that of light. Electrons are all of one kind, so far as is known. Thus far, no structure has been detected within an electron, and it is probably one of the ultimate composite constituents of all matter. An atom or group of atoms from which an electron has been detached has a positive charge and is called a . Electrons are projected from the cathode of vacuum tubes (including television picture tubes) as cathode rays and from radioactive substances as the beta rays. Previously also referred to as corpuscle, an obsolete term. The motion of electrons through metallic conductors is observed as an electric current. A particle identical to the electron in mass and most other respects, but having a positive instead of a negative charge, is called a , or
[Webster Suppl. +PJC]
Electro-negative, Electronegative (?), a. (Chem. & Physics) 1. Having the property of being attracted by an electro-positive body, or a tendency to pass to the positive pole in electrolysis, by the law that opposite electricities attract each other. Contrasted with neutral and electropositive
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2. Negative; nonmetallic; acidic; -- opposed to positive, metallic, or basic.
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3. (Physics) carrying a negative electrical charge.
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4. (Chem. and Physics) having a tendency to take up electrons and form negative ions; having a relatively positive electrode potential.
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Electro-negative, n. (Chem. & Physics) A body which passes to the positive pole in electrolysis; an anion.
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electroneutral adj. (Physics) having no net electric charge; not electrified; uncharged; neutral. Opposite of charged.
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Electronic (?), a. (Physics & Chem.) 1. Of or pertaining to an electron or electrons; as, electronic energy. [wns=2]
[Webster Suppl.]
2. Using the methods or principles of as part of the working mechanism; -- of devices; as, electronic circuit; electronic devices; electronic entertainment devices.
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3. Using computerized storage or transmission of information; as, electronic banking; electronic mail; electronic fund transfer.
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4. of or pertaining to electronics. [wns=1]
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electronic device n. a device depending on the principles of electronics and using the manipulation of electron flow for its operation.
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☞ Numerous electronic devices are in daily use, among them the television, radio, computer, robot, transmitter, receiver, VCR, CD player, etc.
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Electronic mail (?), n. (Computers) 1. a message transmitted from one computer to another, accessible by means of a mail reading program on the receiving computer. The message may have one or many intended recipients, and may be directed by the sending program to one or to multiple receiving computers. The message is typically in the form of a computer file, and may be a simple ASCII text, or any other type of binary coded information
Syn. -- email.
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electronics n. 1. the branch of physics that deals with the behavior of electrons. Electronics is primarily concerned with phenomena other than simple conduction, such as emission of electrons, storage of electrical charge, the effects of electrical fields on the conduction of electrons through a circuit, and amplification and manipulation of electric signals such as voltage or current by design of circuits. Electronics also encompasses the application of such fundamental principles to the construction of devices using the manipulation of electrons in their operation, known as .
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2. the branch of engineering concerned with design of devices using the principles of electronics, for practical purposes.
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3. electronic devices generally, or the electronic circuits within an electronic device. The Russian harvesters are sturdily constructed, but their electronics are primitive.
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electron-volt n. a unit of energy, being equal to the kinetic energy acquired by an electron when accelerated through a potential difference of one volt. It is equal to 1.602 x 10-19 Joules. It is abbreviated eV. The unit electron-volt is often used to express the rest mass and the energy of fundamental particles, especially when accelerated to high velocity in an accelerator. In accelerators, the units encountered are more commonly megaelectron-volts (MeV or million electron-volts) and giga-electron-volts (GeV or billion electron-volts).
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Electropathy (?), n. [Electro- + Gr. paqos suffering.] (Med.) The treatment of disease by electricity.
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Electrophone (?), n. [Electro- + Gr. fwnh sound.] (Physics) An instrument for producing sound by means of electric currents.
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electrophoresis n. 1. (Chem.) the motion of charged molecules or particles in a liquid medium under the influence of an electric field; particles with a positive charge move toward the cathode and negative to the anode. [wns=1]
Syn. -- cataphoresis.
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2. (Chem., Biochem.) the application of the principle of electrophoresis to separate molecules, used as an analytical or preparative technique; as, separation by electrophoresis; gel electrophoresis.
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☞ Coloq. Gel electrophoresis is a technique in which the molecules to be separated are moved through a gelatinous medium under the influence of an electric field. At the completion of a period of electrophoresis, the gel, unlike a liquid solution, may be manipulated as a single object, permitting the substances contained within to be detected or visualized by a variety of methods, and their relative mobilities determined. It is therefore a popular analytic tool in biochemistry, and has many variants. Popular substances used to create the gel are starch, polyacrylamide, and agarose. Since a polyacrylamide gel can be created with different concentrations and different degrees of cross-linking, the pore size of the gel can be controlled to provide special properties appropriate to separation of specific molecules, as for example optimizaion for separation within a particular molecular weight range. in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, SDS ( , a detergent) is included; it binds to and denatures protein molecules, allowing them to be separated on the basis of their molecular weight alone. It is thus used as one method of determining the molecular weights of isolated protein chains.
[PJC]
electrophoretic adj. of or pertaining to electrophoresis; electrophoretic mobility; accomplished using electrophoresis; as, electrophoretic separation; electrophoretic analysis.
Syn. -- cataphoretic.
[WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
Electrophoridae n. small natural family comprising the electric eels.
Syn. -- family Electrophoridae.
[WordNet 1.5]
Electrophorus (?), n.; pl. Electrophori (#). [NL., fr. combining form electro- + Gr. ferein to bear.] (Physics) An instrument for exciting electricity, and repeating the charge indefinitely by induction, consisting of a flat cake of resin, shellac, or ebonite, upon which is placed a plate of metal.
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Electro-physiological (?), a. (Physiol.) Pertaining to electrical results produced through physiological agencies, or by change of action in a living organism.
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Electro-physiology (?), n. (Physiol.) That branch of physiology which treats of electric phenomena produced through physiological agencies; it is especially concerned with electrical impulses generated by and conducted between nerves.
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Electroplate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Electroplating.] (Mech.) To plate or cover with a coating of metal, usually silver, nickel, chromium, or gold, by means of electrolysis.
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Electroplater (?), n. One who electroplates.
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electroplating (?), n. The art or process of depositing a coating (commonly) of silver, gold, or nickel on an inferior metal, by means of an electric current. The metal to be deposited on an article is usually used as the anode and the article to be plated as the cathode, in an electrolyte solution in which the plating metal is the cation. The process is conducted in a tank called an electroplating bath, which holds the electrolyte solution.
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Electropoion (?), n., or Electropoion fluid. [NL.; electro- + Gr. poiw^n, p. pr. of poiei^n to make.] (Elec.) An exciting and depolarizing acid solution used in certain cells or batteries, as the Grenet battery. Electropoion is best prepared by mixing one gallon of concentrated sulphuric acid diluted with three gallons of water, with a solution of six pounds of potassium bichromate in two gallons of boiling water. It should be used cold.
[Webster Suppl.]
Electro-polar (?), a. (Physics) Possessing electrical polarity; positively electrified at one end, or on one surface, and negatively at the other; -- said of a conductor.
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Electro-positive (?), a. 1. (Physics) Of such a nature relatively to some other associated body or bodies, as to tend to the negative pole of a voltaic battery, in electrolysis, while the associated body tends to the positive pole; -- the converse or correlative of electro-negative.
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☞ An element that is electro-positive in one compound may be electro-negative in another, and vice versa.
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2. (Chem.) Hence: Positive; metallic; basic; -- distinguished from negative, nonmetallic, or acid.
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Electro-positive, n. (Chem. & Physics) A body which passes to the negative pole in electrolysis.
{ Electro-puncturation (?), Electro-puncturing (?; 135) }, n. (Med.) See .
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Electro-puncture (?; 135), n. (Med.) An operation that consists in inserting needless in the part affected, and connecting them with the poles of a galvanic apparatus.
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Electroscope (?), n. [Electro- + -scope: cf. F. électroscope.] (Physics) An instrument for detecting the presence of electricity, or changes in the electric state of bodies, or the species of electricity present, as by means of pith balls, and the like.
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Coloq. Condensing electroscope (Physics), a form of electroscope in which an increase of sensibility is obtained by the use of a condenser.
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Electroscopic (?), a. Relating to, or made by means of, the electroscope.
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Electrostatic (?), a. Pertaining to electrostatics.
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Electrostatics (?), n. (Physics) That branch of science which treats of statical electricity or electric force in a state of rest.
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Electro-stereotype (?), n. Same as .
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Electro-telegraphic (?), a. Pertaining to the electric telegraph, or by means of it.
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Electro-telegraphy (?), n. The art or science of constructing or using the electric telegraph; the transmission of messages by means of the electric telegraph.
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Electro-therapeutics (?), n. (Med.) The branch of medical science which treats of the applications agent.
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Electro-thermancy (?), n. That branch of electrical science which treats of the effect of an electric current upon the temperature of a conductor, or a part of a circuit composed of two different metals.
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Electro-tint (?), n. (Fine Arts) A style of engraving in relief by means of voltaic electricity. A picture is drawn on a metallic plate with some material which resists the fluids of a battery; so that, in electro-typing, the parts not covered by the varnish, etc., receive a deposition of metal, and produce the required copy in intaglio. A cast of this is then the plate for printing.
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Electrotonic (?), a. 1. (Physics) Of or pertaining to electrical tension; -- said of a supposed peculiar condition of a conducting circuit during its exposure to the action of another conducting circuit traversed by a uniform electric current when both circuits remain stationary. Faraday.
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2. (Physiol.) Relating to electrotonus; as, the electrotonic condition of a nerve.
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Electrotonize (?), v. t. (Physiol.) To cause or produce electrotonus.
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Electrotonous (?), a. Electrotonic.
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Electrotonus (?), n. [NL., fr. combining form electro- + Gr. � tension.] (Physiol.) The modified condition of a nerve, when a constant current of electricity passes through any part of it. See , and .
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Electrotype (?), n. [Electro- + -type.] A facsimile plate made by electrotypy for use in printing; also, an impression or print from such plate. Also used adjectively.
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☞ The face of an electrotype consists of a shell of copper, silver, or the like, produced by the action of an electrical current upon a plate of metal and a wax mold suspended in an acid bath and connected with opposite poles of the battery. It is backed up with a solid filling of type metal.
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Electrotype, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Electrotyped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Electrotyping (?).] To make facsimile plates of by the electrotype process; as, to electrotype a page of type, a book, etc. See , n.
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Electrotyper (?), n. One who electrotypes.
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Electrotypic (?), a. Pertaining to, or effected by means of, electrotypy.
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Electrotyping (?), n. The act or the process of making electrotypes.
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Electrotypy (?), n. The process of producing electrotype plates. See Note under , n.
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Electro-vital (?), a. Derived from, or dependent upon, vital processes; -- said of certain electric currents supposed by some physiologists to circulate in the nerves of animals.
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Electro-vitalism (?), n. (Physiol.) The theory that the functions of living organisms are dependent upon electricity or a kindred force.
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Electrum (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. �. See , and cf. , .] 1. Amber.
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2. An alloy of gold and silver, of an amber color, used by the ancients.
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3. German-silver plate. See German silver, under .
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Electuary (?; 135), n.; pl. Electuaries (#). [OE. letuaire, OF. lettuaire, electuaire, F. électuaire, L. electuarium, electarium. prob. fr. Gr. �, � a medicine that is licked away, fr. Gr. � to lick up; 'ek out + � to lick. See , and cf. .] (Med.) A medicine composed of powders, or other ingredients, incorporated with some convserve, honey, or sirup; a confection. See the note under .
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Eleemosynarily (?), adv. In an eleemosynary manner; by charity; charitably.
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Eleemosynary (?; 277), a. [LL. eleemosynarius, fr. eleemosyna alms, Gr. � alms. See .] 1. Relating to charity, alms, or almsgiving; intended for the distribution of charity; as, an eleemosynary corporation.
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2. Given in charity or alms; having the nature of alms; as, eleemosynary assistance. “Eleemosynary cures.” Boyle.
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3. Supported by charity; as, eleemosynary poor.
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Eleemosynary, n.; pl. Eleemosynaries (�). One who subsists on charity; a dependent. South.
{ Elegance (?), Elegancy (?), } n. [L. elegantia, fr. elegans, -antis, elegant: cf. F. élégance.] 1. The state or quality of being elegant; beauty as resulting from choice qualities and the complete absence of what deforms or impresses unpleasantly; grace given by art or practice; fine polish; refinement; -- said of manners, language, style, form, architecture, etc.
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That grace that elegance affords.
Drayton.
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The endearing elegance of female friendship.
Johnson.
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A trait of native elegance, seldom seen in the masculine character after childhood or early youth, was shown in the General's fondness for the sight and fragrance of flowers.
Hawthorne.
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2. That which is elegant; that which is tasteful and highly attractive.
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The beautiful wildness of nature, without the nicer elegancies of art.
Spectator.
Syn. -- , . Elegance implies something of a select style of beauty, which is usually produced by art, skill, or training; as, elegance of manners, composition, handwriting, etc.; elegant furniture; an elegant house, etc. Grace, as the word is here used, refers to bodily movements, and is a lower order of beauty. It may be a natural gift; thus, the manners of a peasant girl may be graceful, but can hardly be called elegant.
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Elegant (?), a. [L. elegans, -antis; akin to eligere to pick out, choose, select: cf. F. élégant. See .] 1. Very choice, and hence, pleasing to good taste; characterized by grace, propriety, and refinement, and the absence of every thing offensive; exciting admiration and approbation by symmetry, completeness, freedom from blemish, and the like; graceful; tasteful and highly attractive; as, elegant manners; elegant style of composition; an elegant speaker; an elegant structure.
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A more diligent cultivation of elegant literature.
Prescott.
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2. Exercising a nice choice; discriminating beauty or sensitive to beauty; as, elegant taste.
Syn. -- Tasteful; polished; graceful; refined; comely; handsome; richly ornamental.
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Elegantly, adv. In a manner to please nice taste; with elegance; with due symmetry; richly.
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Elegiac (?; 277), a. [L. elegiacus, Gr. �: cf. F. élégiaque. See .] 1. Belonging to elegy, or written in elegiacs; plaintive; expressing sorrow or lamentation; as, an elegiac lay; elegiac strains.
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Elegiac griefs, and songs of love.
Mrs. Browning.
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2. Used in elegies; as, elegiac verse; the elegiac distich or couplet, consisting of a dactylic hexameter and pentameter.
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Elegiac (?), n. Elegiac verse.
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Elegiacal (?), a. Elegiac.
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Elegiast (?), n. One who composes elegies. Goldsmith.
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Elegiographer (?), n. [Gr. � an elegy + -graph + -er.] An elegist. [Obs.]
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Elegist (?), n. A write of elegies. T. Warton.
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Elegit (?), n. [L., he has chosen, fr. eligere to choose. See .] (Law) A judicial writ of execution, by which a defendant's goods are appraised and delivered to the plaintiff, and, if not sufficient to satisfy the debt, all of his lands are delivered, to be held till the debt is paid by the rents and profits, or until the defendant's interest has expired.
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Elegize (?), v. t. To lament in an elegy; to celebrate in elegiac verse; to bewail. Carlyle.
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Elegy (?), n.; pl. Elegies (#). [L. elegia, Gr. �, fem. sing. (cf. �, prop., neut. pl. of � a distich in elegiac verse), fr. � elegiac, fr. � a song of mourning.] A mournful or plaintive poem; a funereal song; a poem of lamentation. Shak.
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Eleidin (?), n. (Biol.) Lifeless matter deposited in the form of minute granules within the protoplasm of living cells.
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{ Eleme figs, or Elemi figs } (ĕl�mĭ). [Turk. eleme anything which has been sifted and freed from dust or broken parts.] A kind of figs of superior quality.
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Element (?), n. [F. élément, L. elementum.] 1. One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
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2. One of the ultimate, undecomposable constituents of any kind of matter. Specifically: (Chem.) A substance which cannot be decomposed into different kinds of matter by any means at present employed; as, the elements of water are oxygen and hydrogen.
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☞ The elements are naturally classified in several families or groups, as the group of the alkaline elements, the halogen group, and the like. They are roughly divided into two great classes, the metals, as sodium, calcium, etc., which form basic compounds, and the nonmetals or metalloids, as oxygen, sulphur, chlorine, which form acid compounds; but the distinction is only relative, and some, as arsenic, tin, aluminium, etc., form both acid and basic compounds. The essential fact regarding every element is its relative atomic number, which is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus, and also equal to the number of electrons in orbitals around the nucleus when the atom is neutral. When the elements are tabulated in the order of their ascending atomic numbers, the arrangement constitutes the series of the Periodic law of Mendelejeff. See Periodic law, under . This Periodic law enables us to predict the qualities of unknown elements. The number of elements known in 1890 were about seventy-five, but at that time the gaps in the Periodic law indicated the possibility of many more. All of the elements up to atomic number 100 have now been observed though some are radioactive and very unstable, and in some cases cannot be accumulated in quantity sufficient to actually see by eye. The properties predicted by the periodic law wre close to the observed properties in many cases. Additional unstable elements of atomic number over 100 are observed from time to time, prepared in cyclotrons, particle acclerators, or nuclear reactors, and some of their properties are measurable by careful observation of microscopic quantities, as few as several atoms. For such unstable elements, the properties are now predicted primarily by calculations based on quantum mechanics. Such theories suggest that there may be an island of relative stability of elements of atomic number over 120, but this has yet to be confirmed by experiment.
Many of the elements with which we are familiar, as hydrogen, carbon, iron, gold, etc., have been recognized, by means of spectrum analysis, in the sun and the fixed stars. The chemical elements are now known not be simple bodies, but only combinations of subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons, and electrons; ahd protons and neutrons are now believed to be themselves combinations of quarks, particles which are not observed singly, but only in combinations.
In formulas, the elements are designated by abbreviations of their names in Latin or New Latin, given in the table below. The atomic weights given in the table below are the Coloq. chemical atomic weights , in some cases being the weighted average of the atomic weights of individual isotopes, each having a different atomic weight. The atomic weight of the individual isotopes are called the physical atomic weights. In those few cases where there is only one stable isotope of an element, the chemical and physical atomic weights are the same. The mass-spectrometric atomic weights are those used for careful mass-spectrometric measurements. For more details about individual elements, see the element names in the vocabulary
The Elements
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Name |Sym-| Atomic Weight |
|bol | O=16 | H=1 | C=12.000
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Aluminum | Al | 27.1 | 26.9 |
Antimony (Stibium) | Sb | 120 | 119.1 |
Argon | A | 39.9 | 39.6 |
Arsenic | As | 75 | 74.4 |
Astatine | At |
Barium | Ba | 137.4 | 136.4 |
Beryllium | Be |
Bismuth | Bi | 208.5 | 206.9 |
Boron | B | 11 | 10.9 |
Bromine | Br | 79.96 | 79.36|
Cadmium | Cd | 112.4 | 111.6 |
Cesium (Caesium) | Cs | 133 | 132 |
Calcium | Ca | 40 | 39.7 |
Carbon | C | 12 | 11.91| 12.000
Cerium | Ce | 140 | 139 |
Chlorine | Cl | 35.45 | 35.18|
Chromium | Cr | 52.1 | 51.7 |
Cobalt | Co |
Columbium (see )
Copper | Cu |
(Cuprum)
Erbium | Er |
Europium | Eu |
Einsteinium | Es |
Fermium | Fe |
Fluorine | F |
Gadolinium | Gd |
Gallium | Ga |
Germanium | Ge |
Glucinum (now )
Gold (Aurum) | Au |
Helium | He |
Hydrogen | H |
Indium | In |
Iodine | I |
Iridium | Ir |
Iron | Fe |
(Ferrum)
Krypton | Kr |
Lanthanum | La |
Lead | Pb |
(Plumbum)
Lithium | Li |
Magnesium | Mg |
Manganese | Mn |
Mercury | Hg |
(Hydrargyrum)
Molybdenum | Mo |
Neodymium | Nd |
Neon | Ne |
Nickel | Ni |
Niobium | Nb |
(see Columbium)
Nitrogen | N |
Osmium | Os |
Oxygen | O |
Palladium | Pd |
Phosphorus | P |
Platinum | Pt |
Potassium | K |
(Kalium)
Praseodymium | Pr |
Rhodium | Rh |
Rubidium | Rb |
Ruthenium | Ru |
Samarium | Sa |
Scandium | Sc |
Selenium | Se |
Silicon | Si |
Silver | Ag |
(Argentum)
Sodium | Na |
(Natrium)
Strontium | Sr |
Sulphur | S |
Tantalum | Ta |
Tellurium | Te |
Thallium | Tl |
Thorium | Th |
Thulium | Tu |
Tin | Sn |
(Stannum)
Titanium | Ti |
Tungsten | W |
(Wolframium)
Uranium | U |
Vanadium | V |
Wolfranium (see )
Xenon | X |
Ytterbium | Yb |
Yttrium | Y |
Zinc | Zn |
Zirconium | Zr |
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Several other elements have been announced, as holmium, vesbium, austrium, etc., but their properties, and in some cases their existence, have not yet been definitely established.
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3. One of the ultimate parts which are variously combined in anything; as, letters are the elements of written language; hence, also, a simple portion of that which is complex, as a shaft, lever, wheel, or any simple part in a machine; one of the essential ingredients of any mixture; a constituent part; as, quartz, feldspar, and mica are the elements of granite.
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The simplicity which is so large an element in a noble nature was laughed to scorn.
Jowett (Thucyd.).
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4. (a) One out of several parts combined in a system of aggregation, when each is of the nature of the whole; as, a single cell is an element of the honeycomb. (b) (Anat.) One of the smallest natural divisions of the organism, as a blood corpuscle, a muscular fiber.
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5. (Biol.) One of the simplest essential parts, more commonly called cells, of which animal and vegetable organisms, or their tissues and organs, are composed.
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6. (Math.) (a) An infinitesimal part of anything of the same nature as the entire magnitude considered; as, in a solid an element may be the infinitesimal portion between any two planes that are separated an indefinitely small distance. In the calculus, element is sometimes used as synonymous with differential. (b) Sometimes a curve, or surface, or volume is considered as described by a moving point, or curve, or surface, the latter being at any instant called an element of the former. (c) One of the terms in an algebraic expression.
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7. One of the necessary data or values upon which a system of calculations depends, or general conclusions are based; as, the elements of a planet's orbit.
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8. pl. The simplest or fundamental principles of any system in philosophy, science, or art; rudiments; as, the elements of geometry, or of music.
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9. pl. Any outline or sketch, regarded as containing the fundamental ideas or features of the thing in question; as, the elements of a plan.
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10. One of the simple substances, as supposed by the ancient philosophers; one of the imaginary principles of matter. (a) The four elements were, air, earth, water, and fire; whence it is said, water is the proper element of fishes; air is the element of birds. Hence, the state or sphere natural to anything or suited for its existence.
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Of elements
The grosser feeds the purer: Earth the Sea;
Earth and the Sea feed Air; the Air those Fires
Ethereal.
Milton.
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Does not our life consist of the four elements?
Shak.
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And the complexion of the element [i. e.,the sky or air]
In favor's like the work we have in hand,
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
Shak.
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About twelve ounces [of food], with mere element for drink.
Cheyne.
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They show that they are out of their element.
T. Baker.
Esp., the conditions and movements of the air. “The elements be kind to thee.” (b) The elements of the alchemists were salt, sulphur, and mercury. Brande & C.
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11. pl. The whole material composing the world.
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The elements shall melt with fervent heat.
2 Peter iii. 10.
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12. pl. (Eccl.) The bread and wine used in the eucharist or Lord's supper.
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Coloq. Magnetic element , one of the hypothetical elementary portions of which a magnet is regarded as made up.
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Element (ĕl�mĕnt), v. t. 1. To compound of elements or first principles. [Obs.] “[Love] being elemented too.” Donne.
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2. To constitute; to make up with elements.
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His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.
Walton.
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Elemental (ĕl�mĕnt�l), a. 1. Pertaining to the elements, first principles, and primary ingredients, or to the four supposed elements of the material world; as, elemental air. “Elemental strife.” Pope.
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2. Pertaining to rudiments or first principles; rudimentary; elementary. “The elemental rules of erudition.” Cawthorn.
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Elementalism (-ĭz'm), a. The theory that the heathen divinities originated in the personification of elemental powers.
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Elementality (-mĕntălĭt�), n. The condition of being composed of elements, or a thing so composed.
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Elementally (?), adv. According to elements; literally; as, the words, “Take, eat; this is my body,” elementally understood.
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Elementar (?), a. Elementary. [Obs.] Skelton.
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Elementariness (?), n. The state of being elementary; original simplicity; uncompounded state.
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Elementarity (?), n. Elementariness. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
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Elementary (?), a. [L. elementarius: cf. F. élémentaire.] 1. Having only one principle or constituent part; consisting of a single element; simple; uncompounded; as, an elementary substance.
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2. Pertaining to, or treating of, the elements, rudiments, or first principles of anything; initial; rudimental; introductory; as, an elementary treatise.
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3. Pertaining to one of the four elements, air, water, earth, fire. “Some luminous and fiery impressions in the elementary region.” J. Spencer.
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Elementation (?), n. Instruction in the elements or first principles. [R.]
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Elementoid (?), a. [Element + -oid.] Resembling an element.
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Elemi (?), n. [Cf. F. élemi, It. elemi, Sp. elemi; of American or Oriental. origin.] A fragrant gum resin obtained chiefly from tropical trees of the genera Amyris and Canarium. Amyris elemifera yields Mexican elemi; Canarium commune, the Manila elemi. It is used in the manufacture of varnishes, also in ointments and plasters.
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Elemin (?), n. (Chem.) A transparent, colorless oil obtained from elemi resin by distillation with water; also, a crystallizable extract from the resin.
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Elench (�lĕṉk), n.; pl. Elenchs (#). [L. elenchus, Gr. �, fr. � to convict, confute, prove: cf. OF. elenche.] (Logic) (a) That part of an argument on which its conclusiveness depends; that which convinces of refutes an antagonist; a refutation. (b) A specious but fallacious argument; a sophism.
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Elenchical (?), a. Pertaining to an elench.
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Elenchically, adv. By means of an elench.
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Elenchize (?), v. i. To dispute. [R.] B. Jonson.
{ Elenchtic, Elenchtical (?) }, a. Same as .
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Elenchus (?), n. [L.] Same as .
{ Elenctic (?), Elenctical (?), } a. [Gr.�.] (Logic) Serving to refute; refutative; -- applied to indirect modes of proof, and opposed to deictic.
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Elenge (?), a. [Cf. AS. ellende foreign, strange, G. elend miserable.] Sorrowful; wretched; full of trouble. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Elengeness, n. Loneliness; misery. [Obs.]
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Elephansy (?), n. [L. elephantia.] Elephantiasis. [Obs.] Holland.
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Elephant (ĕl�f�nt), n. [OE. elefaunt, olifant, OF. olifant, F. éléphant, L. elephantus, elephas, -antis, fr. Gr. 'elefas, 'elefantos; of unknown origin; perh. fr. Skr. ibha, with the Semitic article al, el, prefixed, or fr. Semitic Aleph hindi Indian bull; or cf. Goth. ulbandus camel, AS. olfend.] 1. (Zoöl.) A mammal of the order Proboscidia and family Elephantidae, of which two living species, Elephas maximus (formerly Elephas Indicus) and Loxodonta Africana (formerly E. Africanus), and several fossil species, are known. They have five toes, a long proboscis or trunk, and two large ivory tusks proceeding from the extremity of the upper jaw, and curving upwards. The molar teeth are large and have transverse folds. Elephants are the largest land animals now existing. The elephant is classed as a pachyderm.
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2. Ivory; the tusk of the elephant. [Obs.] Dryden.
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Coloq. Elephant apple (Bot.), an East Indian fruit with a rough, hard rind, and edible pulp, borne by Feronia elephantum, a large tree related to the orange. -- Coloq. Elephant bed (Geol.), at Brighton, England, abounding in fossil remains of elephants. Mantell. -- Coloq. Elephant beetle (Zoöl.), any very large beetle of the genus Goliathus (esp. G. giganteus), of the family Scarabæidæ. They inhabit West Africa. -- Coloq. Elephant fish (Zoöl.), a chimæroid fish (Callorhynchus antarcticus), with a proboscis-like projection of the snout. -- Coloq. Elephant paper , paper of large size, 23 × 28 inches. -- Coloq. Double elephant paper , paper measuring 263/4 × 40 inches. See Note under . -- Coloq. Elephant seal (Zoöl.), an African jumping shrew (Macroscelides typicus), having a long nose like a proboscis. -- Coloq. Elephant's ear (Bot.), a name given to certain species of the genus Begonia, which have immense one-sided leaves. -- Coloq. Elephant's foot (Bot.) (a) A South African plant (Testudinaria Elephantipes), which has a massive rootstock covered with a kind of bark cracked with deep fissures; -- called also tortoise plant. The interior part is barely edible, whence the plant is also called Hottentot's bread. (b) A genus (Elephantopus) of coarse, composite weeds. -- Coloq. Elephant's tusk (Zoöl.), the tooth shell. See .
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Elephantiac (?), a. (Med.) Affected with elephantiasis; characteristic of elephantiasis.
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Elephantiasis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. �, from 'elefas, 'elefantos, an elephant.] (Med.) A disease of the skin, in which it become enormously thickened, and is rough, hard, and fissured, like an elephant's hide.
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Elephantidae n. a natural family of mammals comrising the elephants.
Syn. -- family Elephantidae.
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elephant-tusk n. an annual of the southern U.S. and Mexico (Proboscidea louisianica) having large whitish or yellowish flowers mottled with purple and a long curving beak.
Syn. -- common unicorn plant, devil's claw, common devil's claw, proboscis flower, ram's horn, Proboscidea louisianica.
[WordNet 1.5]
Elephantine (?), a. [L. elephantinus of ivory, Gr. �: cf. F. éléphantin.] Pertaining to the elephant, or resembling an elephant (commonly, in size); hence, huge; immense; heavy; as, of elephantine proportions; an elephantine step or tread.
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Coloq. Elephantine epoch (Geol.), the epoch distinguished by the existence of large pachyderms. Mantell. -- Coloq. Elephantine tortoise (Zoöl.), a huge land tortoise; esp., Testudo elephantina, from islands in the Indian Ocean; and T. elephantopus, from the Galapagos Islands.
{ Elephantoid (?; 277), Elephantoidal (?), } a. [Elephant + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Resembling an elephant in form or appearance.
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Eleusine n. a genus of annual and perennial grasses of savannas and upland grasslands.
Syn. -- genus Eleusine.
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Eleusinian (?), a. [L. Eleusinius, Gr. �.] Pertaining to Eleusis, in Greece, or to secret rites in honor of Ceres, there celebrated; as, Eleusinian mysteries or festivals.
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Eleutherodactylus n. a genus of completely terrestrial robber frogs.
Syn. -- genus Eleutherodactylus.
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Eleutheromania (?), n. [Gr. 'eleuqeros free + E. mania.] A mania or frantic zeal for freedom. [R.] Carlyle.
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Eleutheromaniac, a. Mad for freedom. [R.]
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Eleuthero-petalous (?), a. [Gr. 'eleuqeros free + E. petal.] (Bot.) Having the petals free, that is, entirely separate from each other; -- said of both plant and flower.
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Elevate (?), a. [L. elevatus, p. p.] Elevated; raised aloft. [Poetic] Milton.
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Elevate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Elevated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Elevating (?).] [L. elevatus, p. p. of elevare; e + levare to lift up, raise, akin to levis light in weight. See .] 1. To bring from a lower place to a higher; to lift up; to raise; as, to elevate a weight, a flagstaff, etc.
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2. To raise to a higher station; to promote; as, to elevate to an office, or to a high social position.
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3. To raise from a depressed state; to animate; to cheer; as, to elevate the spirits.
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4. To exalt; to ennoble; to dignify; as, to elevate the mind or character.
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5. To raise to a higher pitch, or to a greater degree of loudness; -- said of sounds; as, to elevate the voice.
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6. To intoxicate in a slight degree; to render tipsy. [Colloq. & Sportive] “The elevated cavaliers sent for two tubs of merry stingo.” Sir W. Scott.
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7. To lessen; to detract from; to disparage. [A Latin meaning] [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.
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Coloq. To elevate a piece (Gun.), to raise the muzzle; to lower the breech.
Syn. -- To exalt; dignify; ennoble; erect; raise; hoist; heighten; elate; cheer; flush; excite; animate.
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Elevated (?), a. Uplifted; high; lofty; also, animated; noble; as, elevated thoughts.
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Coloq. Elevated railway , one in which the track is raised considerably above the ground, especially a city railway above the line of street travel.
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Elevatedness, n. The quality of being elevated.
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Elevation (?), n. [L. elevatio: cf. F. élévation.] 1. The act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; -- said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc.; as, the elevation of grain; elevation to a throne; elevation of mind, thoughts, or character.
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2. Condition of being elevated; height; exaltation. “Degrees of elevation above us.” Locke.
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His style . . . wanted a little elevation.
Sir H. Wotton.
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3. That which is raised up or elevated; an elevated place or station; as, an elevation of the ground; a hill.
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4. (Astron.) The distance of a celestial object above the horizon, or the arc of a vertical circle intercepted between it and the horizon; altitude; as, the elevation of the pole, or of a star.
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5. (Dialing) The angle which the style makes with the substylar line.
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6. (Gunnery) The movement of the axis of a piece in a vertical plane; also, the angle of elevation, that is, the angle between the axis of the piece and the line o� sight; -- distinguished from direction.
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7. (Drawing) A geometrical projection of a building, or other object, on a plane perpendicular to the horizon; orthographic projection on a vertical plane; -- called by the ancients the orthography.
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Coloq. Angle of elevation (Geodesy), the angle which an ascending line makes with a horizontal plane. -- Coloq. Elevation of the host (R. C. Ch.), that part of the Mass in which the priest raises the host above his head for the people to adore.
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Elevator (?), n. [L., one who raises up, a deliverer: cf. F. élévateur.] 1. One who, or that which, raises or lifts up anything.
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2. A mechanical contrivance, usually an endless belt or chain with a series of scoops or buckets, for transferring grain to an upper loft for storage.
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3. A cage or platform (called an elevator car) and the hoisting machinery in a hotel, warehouse, mine, etc., for conveying persons, goods, etc., to or from different floors or levels; -- called in England a lift; the cage or platform itself.
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4. A building for elevating, storing, and discharging, grain.
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5. (Anat.) A muscle which serves to raise a part of the body, as the leg or the eye.
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6. (Surg.) An instrument for raising a depressed portion of a bone.
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7. (Aëronautics) A movable plane or group of planes used to control the altitude or fore-and-aft poise or inclination of an airship or flying machine.
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Coloq. Elevator head , Coloq. Elevator leg , and Coloq. Elevator boot , the boxes in which the upper pulley, belt, and lower pulley, respectively, run in a grain elevator. [ Webster] -- Coloq. Elevator shoes , shoes having unusually thick soles and heels, designed to make a person appear taller than he or she actually is. [PJC]
Elevatory (?), a. Tending to raise, or having power to elevate; as, elevatory forces.
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Elevatory, n. [Cf. F. élévatoire.] (Surg.) See , n. (e). Dunglison.
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