ECS 



206 



EDO 



for producing artificial echoes. These are 

 usually ellipses and parabolas. Whisper- 

 ing .galleries (q.v.), are constructed on 

 similar principles. The ancients believed 

 that Echo was a nymph of the woods, the 

 daughter of Air and Tellus, who pined 

 into a sound for love of Narcissus. 



ECHOM'ETER, from v^o;, sound, and 

 ftiT^tu, to measure ; a sort of scale or 

 rule used \,y musicians to measure the 

 duration of sounds, and to find their in- 

 tervals and ratios. 



ECLEC'TICS, from 'xXiya, to select; an 

 cient Greek philosophers, who, without 

 attaching themselves to any particular 

 sect, selected from each whatever ap- 

 peared to be most rational. They endea- 

 voured to mould the doctrines of Pytha- 

 goras and Plato, and blend with them 

 the theology of the Egyptians and the 

 tenets of Zoroaster. They hoped to recon- 

 cile the Christians and Pagans to the 

 same opinions ! 



ECLIP'SE, tx\n-T'3,is , defect. An obscu- 

 ration or occultation of the sun or moon 

 by another heavenly body. An eclipse of 

 the sun is caused by the interposition of 

 the moon, which totally or partially ob- 

 scures the sun's disc. Consequently all 

 eclipses of the sun happen at the time of 

 new moon. An eclipse of the moon is 

 caused by the interposition of the earth 

 between the sun and the moon; conse- 

 quently all lunar eclipses happen at full 

 moon. In a case of a partial eclipse, the 

 dark part is called the umbra, and the 

 light part is called the pehiimbra. 



ECLIP'TIC, from izKuvrixof , linea eclip- 

 tica, the ecliptic line or line in which 

 eclipses happen. This is a great circle 

 of the sphere, supposed to be drawn 

 through the middle of the zodiac, and 

 making an angle with the equinoctial 

 in the points of Aries and Libra of 23 

 28', which is the sun's greatest declina- 

 tion. The points of intersection are called 

 equinoctial points. An ecliptic digit is the 

 twelfth part of the diameter of themoon. 

 Ecliptic limits are the greatest distances 

 at which the moon can be from hernodes, 

 in order that an eclipse of the sun or 

 moon may happen. 



ECPHO'NESIS, from e and qatvri, voice ; 

 a figure of speech in which the orator 

 gives utterance to the warmth of his 

 feelings. 



EC'PTOME, \ from eT;Tra>,to fall down ; 



EC'PTOSIS, / a falling down of any part : 

 applied to luxations, falling off of gan- 

 grenous parts, to hernia of the uterus, &c. 



ECPYRO'SES, from and THJ, fire; 

 igneous devastations of the world, which, 

 according to the ancient Stoics, recur at 

 certain distant intervils. 



EC'STACY, ixo-reta-i; etstasis. A disease 



which consists in a total suspension of 

 sensibility and voluntary motion, and 

 mostly of mental power; the muscles are 

 rigid, the body erect and inflexible, the 

 pulsation of the heart is felt, and the 

 breathing not affected. It differs from 

 catalepsy and trance in the inflexible and 

 rigid state of the muscles, and the obvious 

 continuance of the breathing and the 

 heart's action. 



EC'THTM A, ixOvpat,. An eruption of phly 

 zacious pustules which are usually dis- 

 tinct, arising at a distance from each 

 other, seldom numerous, unaccompanied 

 by fever, and not contagious. 



EC'TYPE, from ixrwof, a copy ; a figure 

 in relievo or embossed. 



EC'ZEMA, tx^iijut, from t%ta, to boil. 

 A cutaneous disease, characterised by an 

 eruption of small vesicles on various 

 parts of the skin, usually set close to- 

 gether. 



ED'DA. In northern antiquity, a system 

 of the ancient Icelandic, Runic, or Scan- 

 dinavian mythology. 



ED'DY, from Sax. ed, back, and ea, water . 

 the water that by some interruption in 

 its course runs contrary to the direction 

 of the tide or current, and appears like 

 the motion of a whirlpool. 



EDEM'ATOSE, from OIOIM, to swell ; swell- 

 ing with a serous humour: applied to 

 tumours. 



EDEN'TALS, ) An order of Mammals, 



EDENTA'TA. j including those genera in 

 which the dental apparatus is incomplete. 



EDENTA'TA, from edentatus, without 

 teeth ; the sixth order of mammalia in 

 Cuvier's arrangement, comprising qua- 

 drupeds without front teeth. The sloth 

 is an example. 



EDG'ISO. In carpentry, reducing the 

 edges of ribs or rafters that they may 

 range together. 



EDG'INGS. In gardening, the series of 

 small but durable plants set round the 

 edges or borders of flowerbeds. The best 

 edging is the Dutch box, especially for 

 walks. 



EDGE-RAILWAY, a certain description of 

 roadway, consisting of a succession of iron 

 bars or girders, properly supported, upon 

 which the peripheries of the carriage 

 wheel revolve ; a flange projecting one 

 inch, being formed on the inner edse of 

 the wheels, to prevent their getting off 

 the lines. 



E'DILE, Lat. eedilis ; a Roman officer 

 thus named quod cedes sacras, et adijicia 

 publica procuraret. His duty was to see 

 to the state of public roads, conduits, 

 buildings, &c. 



EDO'LICS, a genus of flycatchers, the 

 species of which are numerous in tke 

 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. 

 Order Passerina, family Dentimstrts. 



