<B>ephippial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with the ephippium. <BR> <I>Ex. There are also fertilized, so-called, ephippial eggs which contain no haemoglobin (H. Munro Fox).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ephippium">
<B>ephippium, </B>noun, pl. <B>ephippia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a thickened part of the shell of certain crustaceans which, under certain circumstances, is employed as an egg case, and molted together with the eggs, which may lie dormant over the winter before developing. <BR> <I>Ex. Females which produce ephippia can return to normal egg production when conditions improve (J. Green).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ephod">
<B>ephod, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a vestment worn by the ancient Hebrew priests, especially the high priest, in performing sacred duties. </DL>
<A NAME="ephor">
<B>ephor, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ors,</B> <B>-ori.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an official in various ancient Doric states, especially one of five leading magistrates of ancient Sparta, elected yearly by the people to advise the king. <DD><B> 2. </B>an official supervisor of public works in modern Greece, especially one in charge of archaeological excavations. <BR> <I>Ex. Born in Athens in 1905, he has held a number of government posts, including that of ... ephor of antiquities of central Macedonia and chief of the department of archaeology (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ephoral">
<B>ephoral, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or belonging to the office of ephor. </DL>
<A NAME="ephorate">
<B>ephorate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the office or position of an ephor. </DL>
<A NAME="ephorship">
<B>ephorship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the term of office of an ephor. </DL>
<A NAME="ephraim">
<B>Ephraim, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the younger son of Joseph (in the Bible, Genesis 41:51-52). <DD><B> 2. </B>the tribe of Israel descended from him (in the Bible, Joshua 16:5-10). <DD><B> 3. </B>the ancient northern kingdom of Israel, so called because Ephraim was its leading tribe. </DL>
<A NAME="ephraimite">
<B>Ephraimite, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a member of the tribe of Ephraim. <DD><B> 2. </B>an inhabitant of the ancient northern kingdom of Israel. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or belonging to the tribe or kingdom of Ephraim. </DL>
<A NAME="ephyra">
<B>ephyra, </B>noun, pl. <B>-yrae.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an embryo jellyfish. </DL>
<A NAME="ephyrula">
<B>ephyrula, </B>noun, pl. <B>-lae.</B> =ephyra.</DL>
<A NAME="epi">
<B>epi-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) on; upon; above; in addition; toward; among. <BR> <I>Ex. Epicalyx = on the calyx. Epidermis = upon or above the dermis.</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> Also, <B>ep-</B> before vowels and <I>h.</I> </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="epibenthic">
<B>epibenthic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of the epibenthos. <BR> <I>Ex. epibenthic fauna.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epibenthos">
<B>epibenthos, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the whole body of plant and animal organisms living just above the sea floor. </DL>
<A NAME="epibiont">
<B>epibiont, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a plant or animal that lives on the surface of another organism without feeding parasitically upon its host. <BR> <I>Ex. Many mosses and lichens are epibionts.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epibiosis">
<B>epibiosis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a harmless parasitism in which a plant or animal derives support but not nutrition from its host. </DL>
<A NAME="epiblast">
<B>epiblast, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the outermost of the three layers of the wall of a blastoderm when fully formed; ectoderm. </DL>
<A NAME="epiblastic">
<B>epiblastic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or of the nature of an epiblast. </DL>
<A NAME="epibolic">
<B>epibolic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or of the nature of epiboly. </DL>
<A NAME="epiboly">
<B>epiboly, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Embryology.) the inclusion of one set of dividing cells within another during gastrulation by reason of the more rapid division of the latter. </DL>
<A NAME="epic">
<B>epic, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a long poem that tells of the adventures of one or more great heroes; epopee. An epic is written in a dignified, majestic style, and often gives expression to the characters and ideals of a nation or race. Homer's <I>Iliad</I> and <I>Odyssey, Beowulf,</I> Milton's <I>Paradise Lost,</I> Virgil's <I>Aeneid,</I> and the German <I>Nibelungenlied</I> are epics. <DD><B> 2. </B>any writing, drama, motion picture, or artistic work resembling or suggesting an epic. Some very long novels are called epics. <BR> <I>Ex. He would like to film an epic of ancient Egypt instead of one-reelers about cowboys, Indians, and pirates (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a story or series of events worthy of being the subject of an epic. <BR> <I>Ex. The heroic resistance of the French is a living epic.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>of or like an epic. <BR> <I>Ex. an epic poem, epic poetry, epic sonority.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>grand in style; heroic. <BR> <I>Ex. epic deeds. Flying over the Atlantic for the first time was an epic achievement.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>very great or large. <BR> <I>Ex. an epic snowstorm. A stay-at-home protest would have to be of epic proportions to produce a victory (New York Times).</I> adv. <B>epically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="epical">
<B>epical, </B>adjective. =epic.</DL>
<A NAME="epicalyx">
<B>epicalyx, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a ring of bracts at the base of a flower that looks like an outer calyx, such as that of the mallow; calycle. </DL>
<A NAME="epicanthicfold">
<B>epicanthic fold,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a fold of skin extending from the eyelid over the inner and sometimes outer corner of the eye; epicanthus. <BR> <I>Ex. The Mongolian "slant," "slit," or "oblique" eye is due to an overdeveloped epicanthic fold ... partially covering the lash-bearing edge of the lid (Alfred L. Kroeber).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epicanthus">
<B>epicanthus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-thi.</B> =epicanthic fold.</DL>
<A NAME="epicardiac">
<B>epicardiac, </B>adjective. =epicardial.</DL>
<A NAME="epicardial">
<B>epicardial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with the epicardium. </DL>
<A NAME="epicardium">
<B>epicardium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-dia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the innermost layer of the pericardium, which adheres to the heart. </DL>
<A NAME="epicarp">
<B>epicarp, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the outer layer of the wall (pericarp) of a fruit or ripened ovary of a plant; exocarp. <BR> <I>Ex. The skin of a pear is its epicarp.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epicedium">
<B>epicedium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cedia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a funeral song; dirge; elegy. </DL>
<A NAME="epicene">
<B>epicene, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>belonging to or partaking of the characteristics of both sexes. <DD><B> 2a. </B>of no definite sex or kind. <DD><B> b. </B><B>=effeminate.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Grammar.) having but one form to denote both genders, as certain Greek and Latin nouns. <DD><I>noun </I> a person who is epicene. </DL>
<A NAME="epicenism">
<B>epicenism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> epicene quality or character. </DL>
<A NAME="epicenter">
<B>epicenter, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the point on the earth's surface from which earthquake waves seem to radiate, situated directly above the true center of the earthquake. <BR> <I>Ex. Grand Banks Earthquake caused a turbidity current that broke cables as far as 300 miles away from the epicenter of the disturbance (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>any central or focal point. <BR> <I>Ex. the epicenter of a revolt. The bedroom suburb, the new epicenter of U.S. population, owes its existence to the highway which whisks the suburbanite from home to downtown job (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epicentral">
<B>epicentral, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with an epicenter. </DL>
<B>epicentrum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tra.</B> =epicenter.</DL>
<A NAME="epicerie">
<B>epicerie, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) <DD><B> 1. </B>spices. <DD><B> 2. </B>groceries. <DD><B> 3. </B>a grocer's shop. <BR> <I>Ex. Eventually they would buy a shop--an epicerie, a charcuterie, or a bakery (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epichile">
<B>epichile, </B>noun. =epichilium.</DL>
<A NAME="epichilium">
<B>epichilium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) the terminal lobe of the divided lip of an orchid. </DL>
<A NAME="epichlorohydrin">
<B>epichlorohydrin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a colorless liquid used as a solvent in the manufacture of various chemical products such as paint, varnish, and adhesives. </DL>
<A NAME="epichondrosis">
<B>epichondrosis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a growth of cartilage upon the periosteum, as that producing the antlers of a deer. </DL>
<A NAME="epichondrotic">
<B>epichondrotic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with an epichondrosis or epichondroses. </DL>
<A NAME="epichorial">
<B>epichorial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> peculiar to a particular country or district. </DL>
<A NAME="epichoristic">
<B>epichoristic, </B>adjective. =epichorial.</DL>
<A NAME="epicist">
<B>epicist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a writer of epic poetry. </DL>
<A NAME="epiclesis">
<B>epiclesis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a part of the prayer of consecration in liturgies of the Eastern Church, in which the presence of the Holy Spirit is invoked to bless the gifts on the altar and the worshippers. </DL>
<A NAME="epicondyle">
<B>epicondyle, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Anatomy.) the rounded part at the end of the long bone in the upper part of the arm, at the elbow; the condyle at the distal end of the humerus. </DL>
<A NAME="epicondylitis">
<B>epicondylitis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> inflammation of the elbow. <BR> <I>Ex. Epicondylitis, a chronic and painful inflammation of the lateral or medial condyle at the distal end of the humerus, is commonly known as tennis elbow (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epicontinental">
<B>epicontinental, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> resting upon a continent. <BR> <I>Ex. Those shallow portions of the sea which lie upon the continental shelf, and those portions which extend into the interior of the continent with like shallow depths, ... may be called epicontinentalseas (Chamberlin and Salisbury).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="epicormic">
<B>epicormic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (of a shoot or branch) growing from a dormant bud which has been suddenly exposed to the light and air. </DL>
<A NAME="epicotyl">
<B>epicotyl, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the part of the stem or axis that is above the cotyledons in the embryo of a plant. </DL>
