E



efficacy (noun)§
The power to produce an effect. (MW)
The ability to produce a desired or intended result. (NOA)
The power to produce a desired result or effect. (BD)
The power of producing an effect; effectiveness. (CHM)
Power or capacity to produce a desired effect; effectiveness. (AHD)
The ability of something to produce the intended result.  How well a particular treatment or drug works under carefully controlled scientific testing conditions.  The quality of being effective; effectiveness. (CD)
Capacity or power to produce a desired effect.The efficacy of something is how well it works or brings the results you hoped for. (VC)
If you talk about the efficacy of something, you are talking about its effectiveness and its ability to do what it is supposed to.  The quality of being successful in producing an intended result; effectiveness.  Power to produce effects or intended results.  Capacity for producing a desired result or effect. (CDC)
Power to produce effects; production of the consequence intended. (JDO)
Power to produce effects; operation or energy of an agent or force; production of the effect intended; as, the efficacy of medicine in counteracting disease; the efficacy of prayer. (WUD)
Power or capacity to produce effects; power to effect the object intended. (OED)
efficacious (adjective)

élan or elan (noun)§
Energy, style, and enthusiasm (NOA)
Vigorous spirit or enthusiasm (MW)
Energy and enthusiasm. (BD)
Impressive and energetic style. (CHM)
Liveliness, enthusiasm, and panache.  Distinctive style or flair. (WN)
Enthusiastic vigor and liveliness.  Distinctive style or flair. (AHD)
Enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness.  Distinctive and stylish elegance.  Liveliness, flash and panache. (VC)
If you say that someone does something with élan, you mean that they do it in an energetic and confident way.  Style and vigor.  Spirited self-assurance; verve; dash; enthusiasm.  Dash; impetuous ardor. (CDC)
A combination of style and energetic confidence or speed, especially in a performance or someone's behavior. (CD)
Ardor inspired by passion or enthusiasm. (WUD)
Ardor, impetuousness, vivacity. (OED)

elasticity (noun)§
Economics
A measure of the responsiveness of one economic variable to another. (EB)
The degree to which a demand or supply is sensitive to changes in price or income. (NOA)
The responsiveness of a dependent economic variable to changes in influencing factors. (MW)
A measure of how changes in price affect supply or demand for a given good. (AHD)
The ability of something, such as the number of products sold, to change in relation to something else, such as the product's price. (CD)
The elasticity of something, especially the demand for a product, is the degree to which it changes in response to changes in circumstances.  A measure of the sensitivity of demand for goods or services to changes in price or other marketing variables, such as advertising.  The degree to which the demand for, or supply of, particular goods or services responds to a change in price. (CDC)
Flexibility in supply or demand in response to variations in other factors. (OED)

elide (verb)§
Join together; merge. (NOA)
Leave or strike out.  To omit it or get rid of. (VC)
To strike out something written.  To eliminate or leave out of consideration.  To cut short; abridge. (AHD)
To strike out something, such as a written word.  To leave out of consideration; omit.  Curtail, abridge. (MW)
To omit a part of anything. (CHM)
Leave or strike out.  To elide something is to omit it or get rid of it. (VC)
To join different things together as if they are the same; to become joined in this way.  To ignore a difference between things. (CD)
If you elide something, especially a distinction, you leave it out or ignore it.  To leave out; suppress, omit, or ignore.  To suppress; omit; ignore; pass over. (CDC)
To conflate or merge concepts, facts, etc.; to conflate a concept, fact, etc., with another.  Also, to be conflated; to merge or fuse with; to blend or segue into.  To pass over in silence; to suppress, strike out, or omit from an account, in recent use, sometimes with the implication of conflating or merging one item with another. (OED)

emolument (noun)§
The returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites. (MW)
A salary, fee, or profit from employment or office. (NOA)
Payment for an office or employment; compensation. (AHD)
Payment for work in the form of money or something else of value. (CD)
Any money earned or otherwise gained through a job or position, for example, salary or fees. (CHM)
Money or other forms of payment which a person receives for doing work.  The profit arising from an office or employment, usually in the form of fees or wages.  Gain from employment or position; payment received for work; salary, wages, fees, etc.  Profit, salary, or fees from office or employment; compensation for services. (CDC)
Profit; advantage. (JDO)
The profit arising from office, employment, or labor; gain; compensation; advantage; perquisites, fees, or salary. (WUD)
Profit or gain arising from station, office, or employment; dues; reward, remuneration, salary. (OED)

enjoin (verb)§
Instruct or urge someone to do something.  Prescribe an action or attitude to be performed or adopted. (NOA)
To direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition. (MW)
To direct a person to do something; order or urge.  To require or impose, an action or behavior, with authority and emphasis; prescribe. (AHD)
To tell someone to do something or to behave in a particular way.  To order or strongly encourage someone to do something. (CD)
To order someone to do something; urge strongly; command.  To impose or prescribe, a condition, mode of behavior, etc.  To urge or impose with authority; order; enforce. (CDC)
Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority.  To issue an urgent and official order. (VC)
To direct; to order; to prescribe.  It is more authoritative than direct, and less imperious than command. (JDO)
To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.  Enjoin has the force of pressing admonition with authority; but it has also the sense of command. (WUD)
To prescribe authoritatively and with emphasis, an action, a course of conduct, state of feeling, etc. (OED)
enjoinment (noun)
Grok:  Difference between admonish and enjoin:  Admonish tends to be used when pointing out a fault or mistake, often with a corrective tone.  Enjoin is used more to direct or encourage someone towards action, with an emphasis on urging or commanding.  Both words can convey a sense of authority, but admonish focuses on criticism or warning, while enjoin focuses on directing or compelling action. (Grok)

ennui (noun)§
A feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. (NOA)
Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom. (AHD)
A feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction; boredom. (MW)
A lack of spirit, enthusiasm, or interest. (BD)
Boredom or discontent caused by a lack of activity or excitement. (CHM)
A feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do. (CD)
The feeling of being bored by something tedious.  A feeling that combines tiredness and boredom. (VC)
A feeling of being tired, bored, and dissatisfied.  A feeling of listlessness and general dissatisfaction resulting from lack of activity or excitement.  Weariness and dissatisfaction resulting from inactivity or lack of interest; boredom.  A feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest. (CDC)
A feeling of weariness and disgust; dullness and languor of spirits, arising from satiety or want of interest; tedium. (WUD)
The feeling of mental weariness and dissatisfaction produced by want of occupation, or by lack of interest in present surroundings or employments. (OED)

enology also oenology (noun)§
The study of wine.  The science or study of wines and winemaking.  The science of viniculture. (CDC)
The study of wines. (NOA)
The study or knowledge of wine. (CHM)
The study of wine and the making of wine. (AHD)
A science that deals with wine and wine making. (MW)
The art of wine making. (VC)
The branch of study that deals with wine; knowledge of or expertise in wines and winemaking. (OED)
enologist:  an expert in or connoisseur of wines.
enophile:  a lover or connoisseur of wine.

ensaymada (noun)§
Philippines
A Filipino spiral-shaped pastry made with sweet yeast dough and topped with butter and sugar, or sometimes grated cheese. (NOA)
Soft round bread, usually with butter and cheese on top that is a popular snack in the Philippines. (Tagalog.com)
A spiral-shaped pastry made with sweet yeast dough; made with butter and topped with sugar and grated cheese. (OED)
A spiral-shaped brioche baked using butter or margarine, topped with butter and sugar, sometimes with ham and cheese. (Wiktionary)
See:  pandesal, putok

erstwhile (adjective and adverb)§
In the past; formerly.  Former; previous. (MW)
In the past; at a former time; formerly.  Former. (AHD)
Former; formerly. (NOA)
Previous. (CD)
Belonging to some prior time.  At a previous time.  Former.  Formerly or once. (VC)
You use erstwhile to describe someone that used to be the type of person indicated, but no longer is.  Former; one-time.  Of an earlier time; former.  Of times past. (CDC)
Former; previous. (CHM)
In the past; former. (BD)
Heretofore; formerly. (WUD)
Some while ago, formerly.  Former. (OED)

estival or aestival or æstival (adjective)§
Of or relating to the summer. (MW)
Relating to or typical of summer. (CD)
Belonging to or appearing in summer (NOA)
Of, relating to, or appearing in summer. (AHD)
Referring or relating to summer. (CHM)
Of or occurring in summer.  Summery. (VC)
Of or occurring in summer.  Of or pertaining to summer.  Appropriate to summer. (CDC)
Pertaining to the Summer.  Continuing for the Summer. (JDO)
Of or belonging to the summer. (WUD)
Of or belonging to summer.  Appearing or produced in summer. (OED)
See:  brumal (winter), hiemal (winter), vernal (spring)

estrange (verb)§
To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. (AHD)
Cause someone to be no longer close or affectionate to someone; alienate. (NOA)
To arouse especially mutual enmity or indifference in someone where there had formally been love, affection, or friendliness; alienate.  To remove from customary environment or associations. (MW)
To cause someone to be no longer friendly or close to another person or group. (BD)
To cause someone to no longer have a friendly relationship with another person or other people.  To cause you to feel that you do not understand someone or something, or do not have any connection with him, her, or it. (CD)
To antagonize or lose the affection of someone previously friendly; alienate.  To turn a person from an affectionate or friendly attitude to an indifferent, unfriendly, or hostile one; alienate the affections of. (CDC)
Arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness.  To push apart people who were once close to each other and cause them to be like strangers.  Often used when talking about family members who are no longer in contact with each other. (VC)
To cause someone to break away from a previously friendly state or relationship.  No longer friendly or supportive; alienated. (CHM)
To alienate from affection; to turn from kindness to malevolence or indifference. (JDO)
To alienate the affections or confidence of; to turn from attachment to enmity or indifference. (WUD)
To cause to be strange, or a stranger, or as a stranger.  To alienate in feeling or affection.  To become alienated in feeling. (OED)
estrangement (noun):  The action of estranging; the condition of being estranged; separation, withdrawal, alienation in feeling or affection. (OED)

ethereal (adjective)§
Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world; heavenly or spiritual. (NOA)
Extremely light or delicate.  Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.  Spiritual or otherworldly. (AHD)
In heaven.  Resembling heaven; seeming to belong to another world.  Very delicate. (BD)
Having an unreal lightness or delicateness; fairy-like.  Heavenly or spiritual. (CHM)
Very light and delicate, especially in a way that does not seem to come from the real, physical world.  Extremely light and delicate, as if not of this world. (CD)
Of or relating to the regions beyond the earth; celestial, heavenly, unworldly, spiritual.  Lacking material substance; immaterial, intangible; marked by unusual delicacy or refinement; suggesting the heavens or heaven. (MW)
Someone or something that is ethereal has a delicate beauty.  Ethereal means unrelated to practical things and the real world.  Extremely delicate or refined; exquisite.  Almost as light as air; impalpable; airy.  Celestial or spiritual.  Of or like the ether, or upper regions of space.  Very light; airy; delicate.  Not earthly; heavenly.  Light, airy, or tenuous.  Extremely delicate or refined.  Of or pertaining to the upper regions of space. (CDC)
Formed of ether.  Celestial; heavenly. (JDO)
Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere; celestial.  Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spirit-like; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc. (WUD)
OED:  Chiefly poetic, of or relating to heaven, God, or the gods; heavenly, celestial.  Chiefly literary, of or relating to the sky or upper regions of space beyond the clouds; of or relating to the highest regions of the atmosphere.  Of the nature of the ether of ancient cosmological speculation; consisting of or resembling such ether; extremely light in substance or composition, rarefied.  Spiritual, non-physical, or abstract in nature; supernatural; incorporeal; nebulous.  Also, of a lightness, delicacy, or refinement that does not appear to belong to this world; otherworldly. (OED)
Example:  Her ethereal beauty....

ethical drug (noun)§
Restricted to sale only on a doctor’s prescription. (MW)
Of a medicine, legally available only on a doctor's prescription and usually not advertised to the general public. (NOA)
Of a medicine or drug, not advertised to the general public, and available only on prescription. (CHM)
Relating to or being a drug dispensed solely on the prescription of a physician. (AHD)
A drug which is only available legally with a doctor's prescription or consent. (CDC)
A drug that is available only with written instructions from a doctor or dentist to a pharmacist. (VC)
A medicine or drug intended chiefly for prescription by doctors and either not sold or not advertised to the general public. (OED)
Note:  Clearly the prohibition of advertising to the public is now defunct, or at least no longer enforced.

excipient (noun)§
Pharmacology
A usually inert substance, such as gum arabic or starch, that forms a vehicle, as for a drug.  A usually inert substance (as gum arabic, syrup, lanolin, or starch) that forms a vehicle, as for a drug or antigen, especially, one that in the presence of sufficient liquid gives a medicated mixture the adhesive quality needed for the preparation of pills or tablets. (MW)
An inert substance used as a diluent or vehicle for a drug. (AHD)
Any of various inert substances added to a prescription to give the desired consistency or form. (CDC)
An inert or slightly active substance used in preparing remedies as a vehicle or medium of administration for the medicinal agents. (WUD)
A constituent of a medicine other than the active substance. (European Medicines Agency)
Grok:  An inactive substance used as a carrier, diluent, or vehicle for the active ingredients in a pharmaceutical formulation.  It helps in the manufacturing process, stabilizes the product, enhances its delivery, or improves its appearance, taste, or texture without contributing to the therapeutic effect.  Examples include fillers, binders, preservatives, and flavoring agents. (Grok)
Grokipedia:  An excipient is a substance formulated alongside the active ingredient of a medication.  They may be used to enhance the active ingredient’s therapeutic properties; to facilitate drug absorption; to reduce viscosity; to enhance solubility; to improve long-term stabilization, preventing denaturation and aggregation during the expected shelf life; or to add bulk to solid formulations that have small amounts of potent active ingredients, in that context, they are often referred to as bulking agents, fillers, or diluents.  During the manufacturing process, excipients can improve the handling of active substances and facilitate powder flow.  The choice of excipients depends on factors such as the intended route of administration, the dosage form, and compatibility with the active ingredient. (Groki)
Note:  As of late 2025, the OED pharmacological definition of excipient is 272 years old; the term was first published in 1894, using a quote from 1753 as the definition.  This original is still in place, without update.  According to the OED, they last modified the excipient entry in March, 2025.  Embarrassingly, the modification did not include the pharmacological definition.  Most surprisingly then, this was not an oversight; they obviously looked at this entry and decided that the definition was adequate.  At a minimum, this scientific term should be updated for the 21st century.  They should leave the quote as a historical record and compose (re-define) a modern definition.  For example, see the Grokipedia definition just above.  The existing definition does not merit inclusion here nor in the venerable OED itself.
See:  adjuvant

excoriate (verb)§
To censure scathingly. (MW)
Censure or criticize severely. (NOA)
To criticize someone severely. (CHM)
To criticize, someone or something, very harshly. (BD)
To censure strongly; denounce.  To criticize something harshly. (AHD)
To write or say that a play, book, political action, etc. is very bad. (CD)
Express strong disapproval of.  Goes beyond mere criticism; it implies anger, a harsh and insulting tone, and even a scathing attack. (VC)
To excoriate a person or organization means to criticize them severely, usually in public.  To denounce vehemently; censure severely.  To denounce harshly.  To denounce or berate severely; flay verbally. (CDC)
To flay; to strip off the skin. (JDO)
To strip or wear off the skin of; to abrade; to gall; to break and remove the cuticle of, in any manner, as by rubbing, beating, or by the action of acrid substances. (WUD)
To upbraid scathingly, decry, revile. (OED)
Note:  The sole definition used to be to flay; I include the complete JDO and WUD entries here.  This definition remains valid.  But CDC gets the modern usage just right:  To flay verbally.

exculpate (verb)§
To clear of guilt or blame. (AHD)
To remove blame from someone. (CD)
To clear from alleged fault or guilt. (MW)
To prove that someone is not guilty of doing something wrong. (BD)
To free someone from guilt or blame; to absolve or vindicate. (CHM)
Show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing. (NOA)
To free from blame or guilt; vindicate or exonerate.  To free from blame; declare or prove guiltless. (CDC)
To clear from the imputation of a fault. (JDO)
To clear from alleged fault or guilt; to prove to be guiltless; to relieve of blame; to acquit. (WUD)
To free from blame; to declare free from guilt; to clear from an accusation or blame. (OED)
exculpatory (adjective)
exculpation (noun)
exculpable (adjective)

exegesis (noun)§
Critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture. (NOA)
An explanation of a text, especially from the Bible, after its careful study. (CD)
Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text. (AHD)
A critical explanation of a text, especially of the Bible. (CHM)
Exposition, explanation, especially, an explanation or critical interpretation of a text. (MW)
An explanation or critical interpretation, especially of the Bible. (VC)
An exegesis is an explanation and interpretation of a piece of writing, especially a religious piece of writing, after very careful study.  Explanation or critical interpretation of a text, especially of the Bible.  Explanation or critical analysis of a written text, usually, specifically, a Biblical or literary text.  Critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible. (CDC)
An explanation. (JDO)
Exposition; explanation; especially, a critical explanation of a text or portion of Scripture. (WUD)
An explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture or a scriptural passage.  Also more generally, a critical discourse or commentary.  Explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture or a scriptural passage; specifically this as an academic discipline.  Also more generally, critical discourse or commentary. (OED)
exegetical (adjective)

expiate (verb)§
Atone for guilt or sin. (NOA)
To make amends for a wrong. (CHM)
To make amends or reparation for; atone for. (AHD)
To make amends for.  To extinguish the guilt incurred by. (MW)
To do something as a way to show that you are sorry about doing something bad. (BD)
To show that you are sorry for bad behaviour by doing something or accepting punishment. (CD)
Make amends for.  To make amends or atone for a wrong you or someone else has committed. (VC)
If you expiate guilty feelings or bad behavior, you do something to indicate that you are sorry for what you have done.  To atone for or redress sin or wrongdoing.  To make amends or reparation for wrongdoing or guilt; To pay the penalty of; suffer for. (CDC)
To annul the guilt of a crime by subsequent acts of piety; to atone for.  To make reparation for. (JDO)
To extinguish the guilt of by sufferance of penalty or some equivalent; to make complete satisfaction for; to atone for; to make amends for; to make expiation for; as, to expiate a crime, a guilt, or sin. (WUD)
To do away or extinguish the guilt of one's sin; to offer or serve as a propitiation for.  To pay the penalty of.  To make amends or reparation for. (OED)
expiation (noun):  The act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement. (NOA)

extirpate (verb)§
Root out and destroy completely. (NOA)
To destroy completely; wipe out. (MW)
To destroy or remove something completely. (BD)
To remove or destroy something completely. (CD)
To destroy completely.  To uproot.  To remove completely. (CHM)
To destroy totally; kill off.  To render absent or nonexistent. (AHD)
Destroy completely, as if down to the roots.  Pull up by or as if by the roots.  Surgically remove.  Extirpate originally meant to weed out by the roots.  Now you can use it more broadly to describe getting rid of something completely.  Use the verb extirpate when you mean to destroy completely or get rid of completely. (VC)
To remove or destroy completely.  To pull up or out; uproot.  To remove an organ or part surgically.  To pull up by the roots; root out.  To destroy or remove completely; exterminate; abolish.  To remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.  To pull up by, or as if by, the roots; root up. (CDC)
To root out; to eradicate; to exscind (excise); to destroy. (JDO)
To pluck up by the stem or root; to root out; to eradicate, literally or figuratively; to destroy wholly; as, to extirpate weeds; to extirpate a tumor; to extirpate a sect; to extirpate error or heresy. (WUD)
To pull or pluck up by the roots; to root up, destroy, or remove root and branch, a tree, plant.  Also used figuratively.  To root out, exterminate, or totally destroy, a class, sect, or nation; to kill off, and render extinct, a species of animals or plants.  In weaker sense, to do away with, render extinct as such a specified class of persons; to root out utterly, break up a gang of thieves.  To root out, eradicate an immaterial thing, for example, heresy, vice, etc. (OED)

𓐵

D <=> F

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