Ecblastesis, ek-blas-tē′sis, n. (bot.) the production of buds within flowers.
Ecbole, ek′bo-lē, n. (rhet.) a digression: (mus.) the raising or sharping of a tone.—adj. Ecbol′ic, promoting parturition.—n. a drug with this quality. [Gr.]
Eccaleobion, ek-kal-e-ō′bi-on, n. a machine for the artificial hatching of eggs. [Gr., 'I call out life.']
Ecce, ek′si, Latin word for 'behold.'—Ecce homo, behold the man (John, xix. 5)—in art, a Christ crowned with thorns.
Eccentric, -al, ek-sen′trik, -al, adj. departing from the centre: not having the same centre as another, said of circles: out of the usual course: not conforming to common rules: odd.—n. Eccen′tric, a circle not having the same centre as another: (mech.) a contrivance for taking an alternating rectilinear motion from a revolving shaft: an eccentric fellow.—adv. Eccen′trically.—n. Eccentric′ity, the distance of the centre of a planet's orbit from the centre of the sun: singularity of conduct: oddness. [Fr.,—Low L. eccentricus—Gr. ek, out of, kentron, centre.]
Ecchymosis, ek-ki-mō′sis, n. a discoloration of the surface produced by blood effused below or in the texture of the skin.—adjs. Ec′chymosed, Ecchymot′ic. [Gr.,—ek, out of, and chymos, juice.]
Ecclesia, e-klē′zi-a, n. a popular assembly, esp. of Athens, where the people exercised full sovereignty, and all above twenty years could vote: applied by the Septuagint commentators to the Jewish commonwealth, and from them to the Christian Church.—adj. Ecclē′sial.—ns. Ecclē′siarch, a ruler of the church; Ecclē′siast, the preacher—Solomon formerly considered as the author of Ecclesiastes: an ecclesiastic; Ecclē′siastes, one of the books of the Old Testament, traditionally ascribed to Solomon; Ecclesias′tic, one consecrated to the church, a priest, a clergyman.—adjs. Ecclē′siastic, -al, belonging to the church.—adv. Ecclesias′tically, in an ecclesiastical manner.—ns. Ecclesias′ticism, attachment to ecclesiastical observances, &c.: the churchman's temper or spirit; Ecclesias′ticus, name of a book of the Apocrypha; Ecclesiol′atry, excessive reverence for church forms and traditions.—adj. Ecclesiolog′ical.—ns. Ecclesiol′ogist, a student of church forms and traditions; Ecclesiol′ogy, the science of building and decorating churches: the science relating to the church. [Low L.,—Gr. ekklesia, an assembly called out of the world, the church—ek, out, and kalein, to call.]
Eccoprotic, ek-ō-prot′ik, adj. laxative, mildly cathartic.—n. a laxative.
Eccrinology, ek-ri-nol′ō-ji, n. the branch of physiology relating to the secretions.
Eccrisis, ek′ri-sis, n. expulsion of waste or morbid matter.—n. Eccrit′ic, a medicine having this property. [Gr.]