ebullient: (adj.) jovial; cheerful; enthusiastic. I'm always
ebullient when it comes to my birthday, because everybody gives me presents, but I don't have to do doodley squat for anybody
else.
ebullition: (noun) a sudden outburst of emotion or violence.
Do not expect any of us to be ebullient about your ebullition.
éclat: (noun) (pronounced: eh-claw) a brilliant
display or effect. The éclat of her evening gown was quickly lost when she began to speak.
edentate: (noun) (pronounced:
ee-den-tate) a mammal that does not have incisor and canine teeth. Sloths, along with armadillos and anteaters,
have no incisors or canine teeth, making them all edentates.
edify: (verb) to
instruct or improve somebody morally or intellectually. The nuns tried their best to edify Eddy, but their edifications
fell on deaf ears.
edivise: (verb) the combined process of editing and revising. When you edivise your paper,
make sure you pay particular attention to any words that are barderized.
effectuate: (verb) to put into force or operation. We will effectuate the president's plan
once we figure out what the heck he's talking about.
effete: (adj.) (pronounced eh-feet) morally exhausted and
overly refined; decadent and self-indulgent, even useless. Though Bob tried looking sophisticated in his sequin covered
hot pants, everybody just thought he was being effete. Of course, Bob thought that was a compliment, but then, Bob wasn’t
always the quickest dog in the race.
efficacy: (noun) capacity for producing a desired result or
effect. The efficacy of the potion surprised everybody.
efficacious: (adj.) that which is effective. It was efficacious that you arrived when you did.
effluvium: (noun) an offensive odor or discharge. The effluvium
coming from the kitchen was enough to make us all want carry out.
eftsoons: (adv.) soon afterward. Eftsoons supper, the men
shall retire to the library for brandy and cigars, while the women discuss stock options with their eftsoons divorce settlements.
e.g.: (adv.) (Latin for "exempli gratia") for
example. Yeah, boss. We took care of Benny the Squealer, e.g., he's wearing cement overshoes. Once the cement
dries in a day or two, then we're throwing him in the drink, i.e., the river.
egalitarian: (adj.) the ridiculous belief that all people
are equal and deserve equal rights. Larry’s egalitarian beliefs got him thrown out of the GOP. Sadly, the
Democrats didn’t want him, either. So he started taking in stray cats, who really didn’t want him, either.
emasculate: (verb) to deprive a man of his male identity; to make
someone or something weaker or less effective. Oh, please, darling. Don't think of it as emasculation. Think
of it as not being slapped silly.
embonpoint: (noun) (pronounced: em-bon-pawn) the plump
or fleshy part of a human body, in particular, a woman's bosom. Yes, she does have a lovely embonpoint, and saying so
in French makes you sound so much less perverted.
emendation: (noun) a correction or a revision to a text. OK,
class, if you are through with your emendations, then you need to pass your papers forward.
eminence: (noun) fame or notoriety, especially within a given profession or sphere of knowledge;
a piece of rising ground. Bob's eminence as a landscaper was in eminences.
emprise: (noun) a daring, adventurous, or chivalric enterprise.
Men, our emprise is to free the lovely princess from the mighty dragon, or to provide a nutritious meal for said dragon.
Either way, it's all good.
encomium: (noun) eulogy; paean; accolade; tribute. Gerald's
encomium would've been a lot more effective had he not spit every time he said his boss's name.
engender: (adj.) to cause, bring about, provoke. His engendering remarks had no affect on
his date’s plans for later that evening.
enigmatic: (adj.) of, or resembling an enigma; puzzling; perplexing;
baffling. The enigmatic professor had a reputation for being rather loathsome.
enkindle: (verb) to set on fire; to arouse or inspire. Perhaps
I should've been clearer. When I said to enkindle me, I was thinking of something that didn't involve fire.
enmity: (noun) hostility; animosity; hatred; antagonism.
Enmity hit a new high at the capitol when lawmakers were forced to take a loyalty test before they were allowed to use the
restroom.
ennui: (noun) (pronounced on-wee) languor; boredom; tediousness.
I’m sorry Mr. Nichols, but I didn’t do the vocabulary homework because it filled me with ennui.
ensconce: (verb) to settle; to install; to plant; to put someone
or something in a safe place. It is the ruling of the jury that you shall be ensconced in a maximum security prison
for the rest of your next four lives.
entablature: (noun) imagine a row of columns; now imagine the horizontal
part of the building above those columns, which usually has been decorated appropriately... that's an entablature. The
entablature above the front door of their double wide was a bit over the top.
entomophagy: (noun) (pronounced: in-tah-mawf-ah-gee) the
practice of eating insects, especially by people. I'm afraid you don't understand, sir. Our restaurant specializes
in entomophagy. There's not a bug in your food, sir. Your food is the bug.
enumerate: (verb) to count; to tally; to number. I enumerate;
therefore, I am an enumerator.
envisage: (verb) to imagine; to foresee; to visualize; to envision. If it weren't for your
snide comments, I could almost envisage a relationship with you.
ephemera: (noun) something of no lasting significance; collectibles
that were not originally meant to last, usually paper, such as tickets. Mary Ann came to realize that her youth was
only ephemeral, leaving her only with the ephemera of forgotten dates, that, and seven children living in a trailer out in
the middle of a sun-baked field.
epicurean: (noun) a gourmand; a gastronomic; a foodie; someone who
really loves food; a disciple of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who sought the happy, tranquil life. You misunderstood.
When I said I was an epicurean, I didn't mean I was a follower of Epicurus. I meant that I like to eat.
epistemology: (noun) the study of distinguishing fact from opinion.
The researchers soon abandoned their epistemological approach when it became clear that they were not getting the answers
that they wanted.
epoch: (noun) (pronounced: epic) a period of time in history or a person's life,
usually marked by notable events or particular characteristics, such as the Steam Age. When the cat finally died, the
Anderson's knew that epoch was over, and once again they'd be safe in their own home.
eponym: (noun) the name of a person that has become the name
of a thing. Casanova and Don Juan argued that they were the original Lothario lovers, but were both reminded by Machiavelli
that they were nothing more then eponyms, which, of course, so was Machiavelli, with the only difference being that Machiavelli
was a real person, and the other two were not, which was a point both of them made repeatedly.
equerry: (noun) (pronounced: ek-kweer-ry) an officer of the British royal household
who assists members of the royal family. Alexander is not just any equerry, mind you; he attends the Queen's
royal bunions.
erethism: (noun) a state of abnormal mental excitement or irritation;
overly horny. Roy was known for his erethism, especially when a cock-chafer bounced against his window.
ersatz: (adj.) fake; artificial; reproduction. Neville
was disappointed when he found out that not only were her moans of ecstasy ersatz, but they were recorded.
eructate: (verb) to belch. His constant, blatant eructation
fairly well nullified an invitation to her apartment at the end of the scheduled date.
escarpment: (noun) a long, steep slope, especially one at the edge
of a plateau or separating lands at different heights. Well, no, I wouldn't necessarily call it an escarpment, but I
do like how you've placed the shrubs at different levels.
eschatology: (noun) the idea that all time has a beginning, middle, and
an end, usually involving a period of judgment. Bob found quickly that whereas the study of eschatology had a beginning
and a middle, as far as he could tell it had no end, making Bob wonder if it were eschatological at all.
eschew: (verb) to avoid; to shun; to distain. We quickly
learned to eschew the street vendors when we were in Argentina.
escritoire: (noun) desk; bureau; writing desk. I wish the cat
wouldn't put her dead mice in my escritoire. After all, she has her own breakfront.
escutcheon: (noun) (pronounced: ess-cutch-un) a shield or an emblem bearing a coat
of arms; the protective and often decorative plate around a keyhole, door handle, or light switch. Run down to the hardware
store and get me an escutcheon, and don't bring back a shield this time!
esquivalience: (noun) the willful avoidance of one's official responsibilities;
a word originally included as “a fictitious entry in the New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD), which was designed
and included to protect copyright of the publication. The word was invented by Christine Lindberg, one of the editors of the
NOAD and discovered by Henry Alford.” Because of the editor’s esquivalience, she left out the documentation
for the previous quote.
estivation: (noun) the opposite of hibernation. Some squirrels
estivate. Some bears hibernate. Some squirrely bears don't do either.
estuarine: (noun) (pronounced: ess-chu-er-ine) formed
or found in an estuary (and, of course, an estuary is a transitional zone between river environments and ocean environments).
It's hard to be an estuarine duck. I don't feel at home with either the river ducks or the sea ducks. Life isn't
everything it was quacked up to be.
etheric: (adj.) of or relating to the ether, the all-pervading
medium. The ghost floated in the ether... you know... just being etheric.
eulogium: (noun) eulogy; a praising speech, usually about the dead.
The cat's eulogium for the sparrow would've been a lot more heartfelt had she not killed it in the first place.
evanesce: (verb) to pass out of sight; memory, or existence. It
took time, but eventually Larry's memory evanesced. It probably would've been quicker had Larry evanesced, too.
eversion: (noun) the act of being turned inside out; the opposite
of inversion. Don't think of it as being kicked out of your home; think of it as being everted.
evince: (verb) to show; to demonstrate; to display. He
envinced his boredom by yawning.
evisceration: (noun) to remove the entrails; to disembowel;
to take away a vital or essential part. The evisceration of all social plans from the tax bill was deemed despicable
by the Congressman, who voted for it just the same.
evocative: (adj.) reminiscent; suggestive; redolent. The eerie call of coyotes in the night was evocative of my first wife.
ewer: (noun) (pronounced: you-er) a large jug with
a wide mouth. If you drink that ewer full of wine, then you're gonna be drunk.
exacerbate: (verb) to make something already bad even worse.
Lying will usually only exacerbate your problems, unless, of course, you get away with it.
exaggerative: (adj.) tending to exaggerate; characterized by exaggeration.
Saying that the president is exaggerative is being nice.
exaptation: (noun) (pronounced: ex-zap-tay-shun) a trait in an organism that takes on
a function other than the function it originally served. Feathers are an exaptation, because they originally evolved
for warmth, not flight.
exculpate: (verb) to show or declare that someone is not guilty
of wrongdoing. Even though Larry was exculpated in what became known as "the hooker incident," he still could
not explain why all the cheerleaders were hiding in his closet.
execrable: (adj.) (pronounced ex-ah-cra-bul) terrible; deplorable;
awful; appalling; disgusting. Sir, after foreclosing on the St. Ann's Home for Pathetic Orphans, you are not only execrable,
you are inexecrable. You are deserving of being execrated.
execration: (noun) the act of cursing or denouncing; the curse or
the denouncement. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but execrations will never harm me... except for that one, which
really hurt.
exegesis: (noun) critical interpretation of a text, or a portion of a text, especially the Bible.
Bob wrote an exegesis on Jesus.
exhortation: (noun) appeal; urging; encouragement. Come to find
out, the exhortations from the planet weren't calls for help, but warnings to stay away. Whoops.
exhume: (verb) to remove from the ground, especially a grave;
to bring to light. Once the grave was finally exhumed, so was his crime.
exigency: (noun) an urgent demand or need. His exigency for
beer was unheeded by the barmaid.
exonerate: (verb) to free from blame, obligation, or responsibility.
Senator Bullfinch, this committee exonerates you of all charges, though we really have no reason to, other than if we find
you guilty then we may have to apply those same standards to ourselves.
exophthalmic: (adj.) (pronounced: exo-fa-thal-mic) characterized
by protruding eyes. Marty Feldman made a career out of being exophthalmic.
exorbitant: (adj.) a ridiculous accumulation of anything.
Bob’s collection of indices, which filled the entire floor of his house, was quite exorbitant.
exordium: (noun) the beginning or introductory part of a discourse or a treatise. Just write down
what we need from the store, for crying out loud! A grocery list does not require an exordium.
expatiate: (verb)
to amplify; to expand; to expound; to elucidate. I appreciate your expatiating the reasons why you don't want to go
out with me, but a simple "No" would've sufficed.
expiry: (noun) (pronounced: ex-spy-ree) the end of a fixed period of time; death.
It's your expiry, Mr. Caldwell. It's time to go.
expunge:
(verb) to erase or remove completely. We expunged Square Pants Bob from our lives.
extemporise: (verb) (also spelled "extemporize," which is
the American spelling) to improvise; to compose, perform, or otherwise produce something such as music or a speech without
preparation. It was hard to tell if the president's nonsensical rantings were extemporizations, or if they were preparations
from a nonsensical mind.
extirpate: (verb) to root out and destroy completely.
I'm for killing things as much as the next guy, but if we extirpated all life on the planet except for us... wouldn't
that be bad?
extrapolate: (verb) to infer or estimate the future based
on current trends continuing as they are now. Because one Eskimo had been rude to Brian, he therefore extrapolated that
all Eskimos were bad, and made it his life’s goal to let everyone know that Eskimos were not nice people. Understandably,
Brian was not invited to many parties.
exude: (verb) to discharge moisture or odor slowly, but steadily.
The oven exuded an invitation that told us we didn’t care if dinner were late.
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