edulcorate 
The copious powder that results from their union is, 
by that union of volatile parts, so far fixed that, after 
they have edulcorated it with water, they prescribe the 
calcining of it in a crucible for five or six hours. 
Boyle, Works, IV. 311. 
edulcoration (e-dul-ko-ra'shon), n. [= F. edul- 
coration = Pg. edulcorafSo; as edulcorate + 
-ion.] 1. The act of sweetening by admixture 
of some saccharine substance. 2. In chem. , the 
act of sweetening or rendering more mild or 
pure by freeing from acid or saline substances, 
or from any soluble impurities, by repeated af- 
fusions of water. 
edulcorative (e-dul'ko-ra-tiv), a. [< edulcorate 
+ -ice. ] Having the quality of sweetening or 
purifying ; edulcorant. 
edulcorator (e-dul'ko-ra-tpr), . One who or 
that which edulcorates ; specifically, in chem., 
a contrivance formerly used for supplying 
small quantities of water to test-tubes, watch- 
glasses, etc. 
edulioust (e-du'li-us), a. [< L. edulia, eatables, 
food (rare sing, edulium, > It. edulio), prop. pi. 
of edule (> Pg. edulo), neut. of adj. edulis, eat- 
able, < edere = E. eat.] Edible ; eatable. 
The husks of peas, beans, or such edulious pulses. 
Sir T. Browne, Misc., p. 13. 
Edwardsia (ed-ward'zi-a), n. [NL. (Quatre- 
fages, 1842), named after'Henri Milne-iVtoarcfe, 
a French naturalist.] A ge- 
nus of sea-anemones, made 
type of the family Edward- 
siid(B. They are not fixed or at- 
tached, but live free in the sand, 
or, when young, are even free- 
swimming organisms. In the lat- 
ter state they have been described 
as a different genus, Arachnactia. 
E. beautempsi is an example. 
Edwardsiidae (ed-ward-zi'- 
i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Ed- 
wardsia + -idee.'] A group of 
Actiniaria with eight septa. 
There are two pairs of directive 
septa, the remaining four septa 
being impaired. All the septa are 
furnished with reproductive or- 
gans. The tentacles are simple, 
and usually more numerous than 
the septa. The body- wall is soft, 
and the column longitudinally 
sulcate, with eight invections. 
edwitet, r. t. [ME. edwiten, 
edwyten, < AS. edwitan (= 
OHG. itawizian, itawizon, **E3* .*"'** 
TLf-rr^, .. _ ' ,". ,, . ,' about natural size. 
MHG. itewizen = Goth, ^d- 
weitjan), reproach, < ed-, back, + witan, blame : 
see wife, and of. twit, < AS. wtwitan.'] To re- 
proach ; rebuke. 
The fyrste worde that he warpe was, "where is the bolle?" 
His wif gun edwite hym tho how wikkedlich he lyued. 
Piers Plowman (B), v. 370. 
edwitet, [ME. edwite, edwyte, edwit, edwyt, 
< AS. edwit (= OHG. itawiz, itwiz, MHG. itemize, 
itwiz = Goth, idweit), reproach, < edwitan, re- 
proach: see edwite, v."] Reproach; blame. 
Man, hytt was full grett dyspyte 
So offte to make me edwyte. 
Hymns to Virgin, etc.' (E. E. T. S.), p. 124. 
edyt, edit, a. [ME., also eadi, a:di, < AS. eddig 
(= OS. odag = OHG. otag = Icel. audhigr = 
Goth, audags), rich, happy, fortunate, blessed, 
< edd, wealth, riches, happiness: see Ed-.] 1. 
Rich; wealthy. 
Vnderstondeth vn to me, edye men and arme [poor]. 
Old Eng. Miscellany (ed. Morris), p. 65. 
2. Costly; expensive. Layamon, I. 100. 3. 
Happy; blessed. 
Edy beo thu mayde. 
Old Eng. Miscellany (ed. Morris), p. 65. 
4. Fortunate ; favorable. 
Me wore leuere . . . 
Of eddi dremes rechen swep. 
Genesis and Exodus, 1. 2085. 
5. Famous; distinguished. 
Most doughty of dedis, dreghist in armys, 
And the strongest in stoure, that euer on stede rode, 
Ercules, that honorable, edint of my knightes. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 6324. 
ee (e), n. [A dial, form of eye: see eye.'] An 
eye. [Now chiefly Scotch.] 
Fears for my Willie brought tears in my ee. 
Burns, Wandering Willie. 
66. A common English digraph, of Middle Eng- 
lish origin, having now the sound of "long" e, 
namely, e. In Middle English it was actually "double" 
e that is, the long sound a corresponding to the short 
sound e, representing an Anglo-Saxon long e (), as in 
beet, greet, meet, breed, feed, etc., or an Anglo-Saxon ce as in 
seed, eel, sleep, weed?, etc., oreii, as in r-lieek, steep, leek, etc., 
or eo, as in bee, deer, deep, creep, iveedl, etc. such vowels 
or diphthongs becoming in later Middle English long e, 
1846 
written either e or ee, and in early modern English spelled 
ee or en, with some differentiation (see ea). In words of 
other than Anglo-Saxon origin ee has the same sound, 
except in a few words not completely Anglicized, as in 
matine'e. Words of Oriental or other remote origin having 
the vowel i (pronounced e) are often spelled with ee when 
turned into English form, as elchee, suttee, etc. 
E. E. An abbreviation of errors exeepted, a sav- 
ing clause frequently placed at the foot of an 
account rendered. Also, in a fuller form, E. 
and 0. E. (which see). 
-ee 1 . [Late ME. -e or -ee, < OF. -e, fern, -ee, 
mod. F. (with a diacritical accent) -e, fern, -ee 
(pron. alike), < L. -atus, fern, -ata, pp. of verbs 
in -are, F. -er. Early ME. -e, -ee, from the same 
source, has usually become thoroughly Eng- 
lished as -y, or -ey ; ef. arm-y,jur-y,jell-y, chim- 
n-ey,journ-ey, etc. See -ate 1 , -ode 1 , -y.'} A suffix 
of French, or more remotely of Latin origin, ulti- 
mately the same as -ate 1 and -erf 2 , forming the 
termination of the perfect passive participle, 
and indicating the object of an action, it occurs 
chiefly in words derived from old Law French or formed 
according to the analogy of such words, as in pay-ee, 
draw-ee, assignee, employ-ee, etc., denoting the person 
who is paid, drawn on, assigned to, employed, etc., as op- 
posed to the agent in -orl or -eri (in legal use generally 
-orl), as pay-er or pay-or, draw-er, assign-or, employ-er, 
etc. 
-ee 2 . [Of. dim. -ie, -y, and see -ee 1 .] A diminu- 
tive termination, occurring in bootee, goatee, 
etc. The diminutive force is less obvious in 
settee, which may be regarded as a diminutive 
of sett-le. 
eef, a. A dialectal form of eath. 
Howbeit to this daie, the dregs of the old ancient Chau- 
cer English are kept as well there [in Ireland] as in Fin- 
gall, as they terme . . . easie, eeth, or tefe. 
Stanihurst, Descrip. of Ireland, p. 11, in Holinshed. 
eegrass (e'gras), n. Same as eddish, 1. 
eekH, v., adv., and conj. An obsolete form of 
eke. 
eek 2 (ek), t'. i. [A dial. var. of itch or ynck : see 
itch, yuck.] To itch. [Prov. Eng.] 
eeket, v., adv., and conj. An obsolete form of eke. 
eel (el), . [Early mod. E. also eele; < ME. el, ele, 
< AS. (El = MD. ael, D. aal = Fries, iel = MLG. 
al, el, LG. al = OHG. MHG. dl, G. aal = Icel. all 
= Sw. &1 = Norw. Dan. aal, an eel ; perhaps 
orig. Teut. *agla (cf. L. anguiUa = Gr. ly^vf, 
an eel), dim. of a supposed *agi = L. anguis = 
Gr. exit = Skt. ahi, a snake, < t/ *agh, *angh, 
choke, strangle : see anguish, anger*, etc., Echis, 
Echidna.] 1. An elongated apodal fish of the 
family Anguillidtx and genus AnguiUa, of which 
there are several species. The body is very long and 
subcylindrical, covered with discrete minute elliptical 
scales, chiefly arranged diagonally to the axis and at right 
angles with one another, but immersed in the skin, and 
partly concealed by a slippery mucous coat. The head is 
somewhat depressed, and the lower jaw protuberant. The 
teeth are slender, conic, and crowded in small bands in 
both jaws and in a longitudinal band on the vomer. The 
dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are nearly uniform, and com- 
pletely united into one, the dorsal beginning near the 
second third of the entire length of the body. The color is 
generally brownish or blackish, except on the belly, which 
is whitish or silvery. The females attain a considerably 
larger size than the males. The sexual organs are minute 
except in the breeding season, and sexual intercourse takes 
place in the sea. Young females ascend into fresh water, 
but the males remain in salt water, and have rarely been 
seen ; and when full-grown the females return to the sea 
for sexual intercourse and spawning. Eels are of much 
economic importance, and objects of special fisheries. 
The common European species is AnguiUa anguilla or 
A. vulyaris; the American is A. rostrata. See Anguilla, 
Anguillidce, 
In that Home men fynden Eles of 30 Fote long and 
more. Mcmdeville, Travels, p. 161. 
Is the adder better than the eel, 
Because his painted skin contents the eye? 
Shak., T. of the S., iv. 3. 
It is agreed by most men that the eel is a most dainty 
fish. /. Walton, Complete Angler, i. 23. 
2. Any fish of the order Apodes or Symbranehii, 
of which there are many families and several 
hundred species. 3. Some fish resembling or 
likened to an eel; an anguilliform fish. 4. 
Some small nematoid or threadworm, as of 
the family AnguillulidtB, found in vinegar, sour 
paste, etc. See vinegar-eel, and cut under Nema- 
toidea Blind eel, a bunch of eel-grass or marsh-grass. 
[Colloq., Chesapeake Bay, U. S.] Electric eel, a remark- 
Electric Eel (Elcctrephorvs electrical}. 
eelskin 
able fish, Electrophorus or Gymnotus electricus, of the fam- 
ily Electrophoridce, of a thick, eel-like form with a rounded, 
Unless back, the vent at the throat, and the anal iln com- 
mencing behind it, of a brownish color alwve and whitish be- 
low. It has the power of giving strong electric discharges at 
will. The shocks producedare often violent, and serve as a 
means both of olfense and of defense. They are weakened 
by frequent repetitions. Its electrical apparatus consists 
of two pairs of longitudinal bodies between the skin and 
the muscles of the caudal region, one pair next to the back 
and one along the anal flu. This apparatus is divided 
into about 240 cells, and is supplied by over 200 nerves. 
The electric eel is the most powerful of electric fishes. 
It sometimes attains a length of over 6 feet. It inhabits 
the fresh waters of Brazil and Guiana. Pug-nosed eel, 
an eel of the genus Simenchelys (which see) : so called by 
fishermen. It is a deep-sea species, found off the New- 
foundland banks, often burrowing in the halibut, whence 
the specific name S. parasitims. Salt eel. (a) An eel or 
an eel's skin prepared for use as a whip. 
Up betimes, and with my salt eele went down in the 
parler, and there got my boy and did beat him til I was 
faine to take breath two or three times. 
Pepys, Diary, April 24, 1663. 
Hence (b) A rope's end ; a flogging. [Nautical slang.] 
Trembling for fear, 
Lest from Bridport they get such another salt eel 
As brave Duncan prepared for Mynheer. 
Dibdin, A Salt Eel for Mynheer. 
eel-basket (el'bas"ket), n. A basket for catch- 
ing eels; an eel-pot. 
eel-buck (61 'but), n. An eel-pot. [Great 
Britain.] 
Eel-bucJcs that are intended to catch the sharp-nosed or 
frog-mouthed eels are set against the stream, and are set 
at night, as those two descriptions of eels feed and run 
only at night. Pop. Sci. Mo., XXIX. 258. 
eeleator, n. [E. dial.] A young eel. [Local, 
Eng. (Northumberland).] 
Eele ! Eeleaator .' cast your tail intiv a knot, and awl 
throw you into the waater. Quoted in Brockett't Glossary. 
eelfare (el'far), n. [<.eel+ fare, agoing. Hence 
by corruption elver, q. v.] 1. In the Thames 
valley, the migration of young eels up the river. 
2. A fry or brood of eels. [Prov. Eng. in 
both senses.] 
eel-fly (el'fll), n. A shad-fly. C. Hallock. [St. 
Lawrence river.] 
eel-fork (el'fork), . A pronged instrument 
for catching eels. 
eel-gig (el'gig), n. Same as eel-spear. 
eel-grass (el'gras), n. 1. A grass-like naiada- 
ceous marine plant, Zostera marina. [U. S.] 
The dull weed upholstered the decaying wharves, and 
the only freight that heaped them was the kelp and eel- 
grass left by higher floods. Lowell, Fireside Travels, p. 45. 
2. The wild celery, Vallisneria spiralis. 
eel-mother (ermuTH^er), n. A viviparous fish, 
Zoarces viviparm, of an elongated eel-like form, 
often confounded with the eel. 
eel-oil (el'oil), n. An oil obtained from eels, 
used in lubricating, and as a liniment in rheu- 
matism, etc. 
eel-pot (el'pot), n. 1. A kind of basket for catch- 
ing eels, having fitted into the mouth a funnel- 
shaped entrance, like that of a wire mouse-trap, 
composed of flexible willow rods converging 
inward to a point, so that the eels can easily 
force their way in, but cannot escape. These 
baskets are usually attached to a framework of wood erect- 
ed in a river, especially a tideway river, the large open end 
of each being opposed to the current of the stream. The 
eels are thus intercepted on their descent toward the 
brackish water, which takes place during the autumn. 
Eel-pots are used in various parts of the Thames in Eng- 
land. In Great Britain called eel-buck. 
2. The homelyn ray, Eaia maculata. [Local, 
Eng.] 
eel-pout (el'pout), n. [< ME. "elepoute (not re- 
corded), < AS. celepute (= OD. aelpuyt, also puyt- 
ael, D. puitaal) (L. capita), < eel, eel, + ptite 
(only in this comp.), pout: see^owt 1 .] 1. The 
conger-eel or lamper-eel, Zoarces angitillaris, of 
North America. See lamper-eel. 2. A local 
English name of the eel-mother or viviparous 
blenny, Zoarces viviparus. 3. A local English 
name of the burbot, Lota vulgaris. 
eel-punt (el'punt), n. A flat-bottomed boat 
used in fishing for eels. 
eel-set (el'set), n. A peculiar kind of net used 
in catching eels. 
In Norfolk, where immense quantities of eels arc caught 
every year, the capture is mostly effected by eel-sets, which 
are nets set across the stream, and in which the sharp- 
nosed eel is the one almost invariably taken. 
Pop. Sci. Mo., XXIX. 258. 
eel-shaped (el'shapt), a. Like an eel in shape, 
long and slender; specifically, anguilliform. 
eel-shark (el'shark), n. A shark of the family 
Cltlamydoselaclridce. 
eel-shear (el'sher), n. An eel-spear. 
eelskin (el'skin), H. The skin of an eel. Eel- 
skins are used (a) to cover a sijuid or artificial bait for 
