El Dorado, el dō-rä′dō, the golden land of imagination of the Spanish conquerors of America: any place where wealth is easily to be made. [Sp. el, the, dorado, pa.p. of dorar, to gild.]
Eldritch, el′drich, adj. (Scot.) weird, hideous. [Der. obscure: perh. conn. with elf.]
Eleatic, el-e-at′ik, adj. noting a school of philosophers, specially connected with Elea, a Greek city of Lower Italy, and including Zenophanes, Parmenides, and Zeno.—n. one belonging to this school.
Elecampane, el′e-kam-pān′, n. a composite plant allied to Aster, formerly much cultivated for its medicinal root. [Formed from Low L. enula campana.]
Elect, e-lekt′, v.t. to choose out: to select for any office or purpose: to select by vote.—adj. chosen: taken by preference from among others: chosen for an office but not yet in it (almost always after the noun, as 'consul elect').—n. one chosen or set apart.—n. Elec′tion, the act of electing or choosing: the public choice of a person for office, usually by the votes of a constituent body: freewill: (theol.) the exercise of God's sovereign will in the predetermination of certain persons to salvation: (B.) those who are elected.—v.i. Electioneer′, to labour to secure the election of a candidate.—n. Electioneer′er.—n. and adj. Electioneer′ing, the soliciting of votes and other business of an election.—adj. Elect′ive, pertaining to, dependent on, or exerting the power of choice.—adv. Elect′ively.—ns. Electiv′ity; Elect′or, one who elects: one who has a vote at an election: the title formerly belonging to those princes and archbishops of the German Empire who had the right to elect the Emperor:—fem. Elect′ress, Elect′oress.—adjs. Elect′oral, Electō′rial, pertaining to elections or to electors: consisting of electors.—ns. Elect′orate, the dignity or the territory of an elector: the body of electors; Elect′orship.—The elect (theol.), those chosen by God for salvation. [L. e, out, legĕre, to choose.]
Electric, e-lek′trik, adj. pertaining to or produced by electricity.—n. any electric substance: a non-conductor of electricity, as amber, glass, &c.—adj. Elec′trical.—adv. Elec′trically.—ns. Elec′tric-eel (see Gymnotus); Electri′cian, one who studies, or is versed in, the science of electricity; Electric′ity, name of the cause of certain phenomena of attraction and repulsion: the phenomena themselves: the science which investigates the nature and laws of these phenomena.—adj. Elec′trifīable.—n. Electrificā′tion.—v.t. Elec′trify, to communicate electricity to: to excite suddenly: to astonish: to adapt to electricity as the motive power:—pa.p. elec′trified.—n. Elec′trisation.—v.t. Elec′trīse, to electrify.—ns. Elec′trode, either of the poles of a galvanic battery; Elec′trolier, a device for suspending a group of incandescent lamps; Elec′trum, amber: an alloy of gold and silver.—Electric railway, a railway on which electricity is the motive-power; Electric spark, one of the forms in which accumulated electricity discharges itself; Electric storm, a violent disturbance in the electrical condition of the earth. [L. electrum—Gr. elektron, amber, in which electricity was first observed.]
Electro-biology, e-lek′tro-bī-ol′o-ji, n. the science which treats of the electricity developed in living organisms: that view of animal magnetism according to which the actions, feelings, &c. of a person are controlled by the will of the operator.—adj. Elec′tro-ballis′tic, of an apparatus for determining by electricity the velocity of a projectile.—ns. Elec′tro-biol′ogist; Elec′tro-chem′istry, that branch of chemical science which treats of the agency of electricity in effecting chemical changes.—v.t. Elec′trocute, to inflict a death penalty by means of electricity.—ns. Electrocū′tion, capital punishment by electricity; Elec′tro-dynam′ics, the branch of physics which treats of the action of electricity; Elec′tro-dynamom′eter, an instrument for measuring the strength of electro-dynamic action; Elec′tro-engrav′ing, an etching process in which the etched plate is placed in an electro-bath to deepen the 'bite;' Elec′tro-gild′ing, electroplating with gold; Elec′tro-kinet′ics, that branch of science which treats of electricity in motion; Electrol′ogy, the science of applied electricity.—v.t. Elec′trolyse, to subject to electrolysis.—ns. Electrol′ysis, the process of chemical decomposition by electricity; Elec′trolyte, a body which admits of electrolysis.—adj. Electrolyt′ic.—n. Elec′tro-mag′net, a piece of soft iron rendered magnetic by a current of electricity passing through a coil of wire wound round it.—adj. Elec′tro-magnet′ic.—ns. Elec′tro-mag′netism, a branch of science which treats of the relation of electricity to magnetism; Elec′tro-met′allurgy, a name given to certain processes by which electricity is applied to the working of metals, as in electroplating and electrotyping; Electrom′eter, an instrument for measuring the quantity of electricity.—adjs. Electromet′ric, -al, pertaining to the measurement of electricity.—ns. Electrom′etry, the science of electrical measurements; Elec′tro-mō′tion, the passage of an electric current in a voltaic circuit: motion produced by electricity employed as power.—adjs. Elec′tro-mō′tive, pertaining to the motion of electricity or the laws governing it.—n. Elec′tro-mō′tor, an apparatus for applying electricity as a motive-power.—adj. Elec′tro-neg′ative, appearing, as an element in electrolysis, at the positive electrode: having the property of becoming negatively electrified by contact with a dissimilar substance.—ns. Elec′trophōne, an instrument for producing sounds resembling trumpet-tones by electric currents of high tension; Electroph′orus, an instrument for obtaining statical electricity by means of induction; Elec′tro-physiol′ogy, the study of the electric phenomena of living organisms.—v.t. Elec′troplate, to plate or cover with silver by electrolysis.—n. Elec′troplating.—adjs. Elec′tro-pō′lar, having, as an electrical conductor, one end or surface positive and the other negative; Elec′tro-pos′itive, attracted by bodies negatively electrified, or by the negative pole of a voltaic battery: assuming positive potential when in contact with another substance.—ns. Elec′troscope, an instrument for detecting the presence of electricity in a body and the nature of it; Elec′tro-stat′ics, that branch of science which treats of electricity at rest; Elec′tro-tint, a style of etching by means of galvanism; Elec′trotype, the art of copying an engraving or type on a metal deposited by electricity.—adj. Electrotyp′ic.—ns. Elec′trotypist; Elec′trotypy, the art of copying.—adj. Elec′tro-vī′tal, electrical and dependent upon vital processes.
Electuary, e-lek′tū-ar-i, n. a composition of medicinal powders with honey or sugar. [Low L. electuarium—Gr. ekleikton—ekleichein, to lick up.]
Electron. See page 1208.
Eleemosynary, el-e-mos′i-nar-i, adj. relating to charity or almsgiving: dependent on charity: given in charity. [Gr. eleēmosynē, compassionateness, alms—eleos, pity. See Alms.]