68 



A GLOSSARY OF TERMS 



EcHi'sriDJE. ") fr. gr. 

 ECHINI'DEJE. 3 hedg 



mammals of the family of mono- 

 trema. 



CHI'NATE. fr. gr. echinos, a sea- 

 hedge-hog. Bristly ; set with 

 spines; covered with stiff hairs 

 or prickles: applied to certain 

 fruits. 



echinos, a sea- 

 hedge-hog; eidos, re- 

 semblance. Systematic name of 

 the order of sea-urchins. 



ECHIITODER'MATA. "> fr. gr. echinos, a 



ECHI'NODERMS. 3 sea-liedge-hog; 

 derma, skin. A class of inverte- 

 brate animals, with a crusta'ceous 

 integument armed with tubercles 

 or spines. 



ECON'OMY. fr. gr. oikos, house ; no- 

 wos, a rule. The body of laws 

 which govern the organism. 



ECO'STATE. Without ribs or nerves ; 

 applied to leaves. 



ECPTHO'SIS. Gr. Destruction by fire. 



ECTOZO'A. fr. gr. ek, without ; zoon, 

 an animal. Parasitic animals 

 which inhabit the exterior of ani- 

 mal bodies, as fleas, &c. 



EDENTA'TA. fr. lat. c, priv. ; dens, 

 tooth. Without teeth. The name 

 of an order of mammiferous ani- 

 mals that are withoih teeth. 



EDEN'TATE. Without teeth. 



E'DULIS. Lat. Edible; that which 

 may be safely eaten. 



EFFERVE'SCEXCE. fr. lat. effervesco, I 

 grow hot. The commotion pro- 

 duced in fluids by the sudden es- 

 cape of gas, in the form of bub- 

 bles. 



EFFLORF/SCENCE. The pulverulent 

 covering formed on the surface of 

 saline substances, from which the 

 atmosphere has removed the wa- 

 ter of crystallization. When sa- 

 line substances give up their wa- 

 ter of crystallization to the air, 

 they are said to effloresce. 



EFFOLIA'TION. Premature falling of 

 leaves, from disease or accidental 

 causes. 



EFFUSE. Applied to inflorescence, 

 it means a kind of panicle with 



a very loose, one-sided arrange- 

 ment. Spread out. 



EFFU'SIOX. fr. lat. effundo, I pour 

 out. The pouring out of a li- 

 quid. 



EGRET or AIGRETTE. The feathery 

 or hairy crown of seeds. 



ELA'BORATE. ) fr. lat. labora're, to 



ELABORA'TIOIT. ( work. These 

 words are employed to signify the 

 separation and appropriation of 

 nutritive matter, by the action of 

 living organs, upon substances ca- 

 pable of assimilation. The ela- 

 boration of food in the stomach 

 produces chyme (p. 55, Book vii). 



E'LAPS. fr. gr. elaps, or elops, a par- 



, ticular serpent. Systematic name 

 of certain vipers. 



E'LATER. fr. gr. elater, a leaper. A 

 genus of insects. Elaters are spi- 

 ral threads which are mingled 

 with the spores in certain crypto- 

 gamic plants. 



ELEC'TUIC. Belonging or relating to 

 electricity. 



ELECTRIC 'ITT. fr. gr. eleklron, am- 

 ber, the substance in which this 

 imponderable cause of certain 

 phenomena was first observed. 

 The property which certain bo- 

 dies, such as glass, wax, sulphur, 

 &c., acquire, by being rubbed, of 

 attracting or repelling each other. 

 In a more modern and extended 

 signification, the power and ac- 

 tion of a peculiar, imponderable 

 fluid, the accumulation of which 

 is manifested by sparks, and by 

 communicating to the nervous 

 system more or less powerful sen- 

 sations, and producing effects ana- 

 logous, if not identical with those 

 of lightning. 



ELECTRI'CUS. Lat. Electric. Pos- 



- sessing electricity. 



E'LEGANS. Lat. Elegant. 



ELEMENT. A simple substance; a 

 substance which has not been 

 chemically resolved into different 

 substances, as iron. 



ELEPHAS. Lat. An elephant. 



