eelskin 
catching hlrteflsh, bonitos, etc. ; (b) by negroes as ft remedy 
for rlii'iiniidi-tii ; (<) liy sailors a.s a whip, ami in this caHe 
called unit eel. (d) Fnnnerly used as a casing for the cue 
or pigtail of tlic hair or the wig. especially hy sailors. 
eel-spear (el'sper), N. A forked spear used for 
catching eels. There arc many sizes and styles of the 
instrument. Special forms of eel-spears arc known as 
prick and dart. 
een (en), n. An obsolete or Scotch plural of 
eye. See ee. 
e'en 1 (en), adv. A contraction of eren 1 . For- 
merly often written ene. 
1 have e'en done with you. Sir R. L' Estrange. 
e'en 2 (en), n. [Sc.] A contraction of even 2 . 
Formerly often written one. 
-een. [Of. -rue, -ine, -in, etc.] A termination 
of Latin origin, representing ultimately Latin 
-cnus, -inns, etc., adjective terminations, as in 
tliiiiitmkccH, tureen, canteen, sateen, velveteen, etc. 
See these words. 
e'er (ar), adv. A contraction of ever. 
This Is as strange thing as e'er I look'd on. 
Shot., Tempest, v. 1. 
-eer. [< F. -ier, < L. -arius, etc. : see -erl and 
-/<;-.] A suffix of nouns of agent, being a more 
English spelling of -ier, equivalent to the older 
-er%, as in prisoner, etc. (see -er 2 ), as in engineer 
(formerly enginer), pamphleteer, gazetteer, buc- 
caneer, cannoneer, etc., and, with reference to 
place of residence, mountaineer, garreteer, etc. 
eerie, a. See eery. 
eerily (e'ri-li), adv. In an eery, strange, or 
unearthly manner. 
It spoke in pain and woe ; wildly, eerily, urgently. 
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xxxv. 
eeriness (e'ri-nes), n. The character or state 
of being eery. Also spelled eariness. 
eery, eerie (e'ri), a. [Sc., also written eiry, 
cry ; origin obscure.] 1. Such as to inspire 
awe or fear; mysterious; strange; peculiar; 
weird. 
Dark, dark, grew his eerie looks, 
And raging grew the sea. 
The Damon Lover (Child's Ballads, I. SOS). 
The eerie heauty of a winter scene. Tennyson. 
2. Affected by superstitious fear, especially 
when lonely ; nervously timorous. 
In mirkiest glen at midnight hour, 
I'd rove, and ne'er be eerie. 
Burns, My ain kind Dearie, O. 
As we sat and talked, It was with an eerie feeling that 
I felt the very foundations of the land thrill under my feet 
at every dull boom of the surf on the outward barrier. 
//. 0. Forbes, Eastern Archipelago, p. 13. 
eett. An obsolete preterit of eat. Chaucer. 
of-. An assimilated form of ex- before/, 
efagst (e-fagz'), inter/. [Another form of ifacks, 
ij'ecks, e'tc. : see ffecks.] In faith ; on my word; 
certes. [Vulgar.] 
"Wags! the gentleman has got a Tratyor," says Mrs. 
Towwouse ; at which they all fell a laughing. 
Fielding, Joseph Andrews, 
eff (of), n. Same as efft. 
effablet (ef'a-bl), a. [= It. effabilc, < L. effabiUs, 
utterable, < eff art, utter, speak out, < ex, out. 
+ fart = Or. ifiavat, speak: gee fable, fame.] 
Utterable ; capable of being explained ; expli- 
cable. Barrow. 
He did, upon his suggestion, accommodate thereunto 
his universal language, to make his character effable. 
Wallis, Defence of the Royal Society (178), p. 10. 
efface (e-fas'), v. t. ; pret. and pp. effaced, ppr. 
effacing. [< F. effacer (= Pr. esfassar), efface, 
< ef- for es- (< L. ex), out, + face, face.] 1. To 
erase or obliterate, as something inscribed or 
cut on a surface ; destroy or render illegible ; 
hence, to remove or destroy as if by erasing: 
as, to efface the letters on a monument; to 
efface a writing; to efface a false impression 
from a person's mind. 
Efface from his mind the theories and notions vulgarly 
received. Eacon. 
Tho' brass and marble remain, yet the inscriptions arc 
effaced by time, and the imagery moulders away. 
Locke, Human Understanding, 11. 10. 
From which even the icy touch of death had not e faced 
all the living beauty. Sumner, Joseph Story. 
2. To keep out of view or unobserved ; make 
inconspicuous; cause to be unnoticed or not 
noticeable : used reflexively : as, to efface one's 
self in the midst of gaiety. 
That exquisite something called style, which, like the 
grace of perfect breeding, everywhere pervasive and no- 
where emphatic, makes itself felt liy the skill with which 
It rfhivx ;/..,(/, and masters us at last with a sense of in- 
definable completeness. 
Loicetl, Among my Rooks, 1st ser., p. 175. 
= Syn. 1. Dtfacf, Krate, Cancel, Expunge, Efface, Obliter- 
ate. To deface is to injure, impair, or mar to the eye, and 
so generally upon tbi; surface: as, to defacr a linildin^. 
The other words agree in representing a blotting out or 
184? 
removal. To erase is to rub out or scratch out, in that 
the thing is destroyed, although the signs of It may re- 
main: as, to erase a word in a letter. To cancel is to cross 
out, to deprive of force or validity. To expunge is to 
strike out ; the word Is now rarely used, except of the 
striking out of some record : as. to cxpunye from the jour- 
nal a resolution of censure. To efface is to make a com- 
plete removal: as, his kindness effaced all memory of past 
neglect. Obliterate Is more emphatic than efface, meaning 
to remove all sign or trace of. 
Like gypsies, lest the stolen brat be known, 
Defacing first, then claiming for his own. 
Churchill, Apology, 1. 236. 
Whatever hath been written shall remain, 
Nor be erased nor written o'er again. 
Longfellow, Morituri Salutamns, 1. 168. 
The experiences in dreams continually contradict the 
experiences received during the day ; and go far towards 
cancelling the conclusions drawn from day experiences. 
11. Spencer, Prin. of SocloL, | 72. 
A universal blank 
Of nature's works, to me expunged and rased. 
Milton, P. L., ill. 49. 
These are the records, half effaced, 
Which, with the hand of youth, he traced. 
Lonaffllow, Coplas de Manrique. 
The Arabians came like a torrent, sweeping down and 
obliterating even the landmarks of former civilization. 
Pretcott, Ferd. and Isa., i. 8. 
effaceable (e-fa'sa-bl), a. [= F. effacable; as 
efface + -able.'] Capable of being effaced. 
effacement (e-fas'ment), n. [= F. effacement; 
as efface + -men*.] 'The act of effacing, or the 
state of being effaced. 
effare; (e-fa-ra'), a. [F., pp. of effarer, startle, 
frighten, = Pr. esferar, frighten, < L. efferare, 
make wild, < efferus, wild: see efferous.] In 
her., same as salient: said of a beast, especial- 
ly a beast of prey. Also cffeart. 
effascinatet (e-fas'i-nat), v. t. [< L. effascinatus, 
pp. of effascinare, fascinate, < ex- (intensive) + 
fascinare, charm: see fascinate.] To charm; 
bewitch; delude; fascinate. Heywood. 
effascinationt (o-fas-i-na'shon), n. [< L. effas- 
cinatio(n-), < effascinare, pp. effascinatus, charm : 
see effascinate.~\ The act of bewitching, delud- 
ing, or fascinating, or the state of being be- 
witched or deluded. 
St. Paul sets down the just judgement of God against 
the receivers of Anti-christ, which is effascination, or 
strong delusion. 
Shelf ord, Learned Discourses (Camb., 1635), p. 317. 
effeare', a. In her., same as effare. 
effect (e-fekt'), v. t. [< L. e/ectus, pp. of efficere, 
ecfacere, bring to pass, accomplish, complete, 
do, effect, < ex, out, +jacere, do: see fact, and 
cf. affect, infect.] 1. To produce as a result; 
be the cause or agent of; bring about; make 
actual ; achieve : as, to effect a political revolu- 
tion, or a change of government. 
What he [the Almighty] decreed, 
He effected ; man he made, and for him built 
Magnificent this world. Milton, t. L., ix. 152. 
Insects constantly carry pollen from neighboring plants 
to the stigmas of each flower, and with some species this 
is effected by the wind. Danrin, Origin of Species, p. 248. 
Almost anything that ordinary Are can effect may be ac- 
complished at the focus of invisible rays. 
Tiindall, Radiation, { 7. 
2. To bring to a desired end; bring to pass; 
execute ; accomplish ; fulfil : as, to effect a pur- 
pose, or one's desires. 
If it be in man, besides the king, to effect VOUT suits, 
here is man shall do it Shot., W. T., iv. 4. 
E'en his soul seem'd only to direct 
So great a body such exploits t' effect. 
Daniel, Civil Wars, v. 
Being consul, I doubt not t' effect 
All that you wish. B. Janata, Catiline. 
= Syn. 1. To realize, fulfil, complete, compass, consum- 
mate; Affect, Effect. ,See affect-. 2. Execute, Accomplish, 
etc. See perform. 
effect (e-fekt'),. [< ME. effect = D. effect, effekt, 
= Q. effect = Dan. Sw. effekt, < OF. effect, effet, 
F. effet = Pr. effeit = Sp. efecto = Pg. cffeito = 
It. effetto, < L. effectus, an effect, tendency, pur- 
pose, < efficere, ecfacere, pp. effectus, bring to 
pass, accomplish, complete, effect: see effect, 
v.] 1. That which is effected by an efficient 
cause; a consequent; more generally, the re- 
sult of any kind of cause except a final cause : 
as, the effect of heat. 
Every argument is either derived from the effecte of the 
niatier, of the fourme, or of the efficient cause. 
Sir T. Wilson, Rule of Reason. 
Causes are as parents to effects. 
Bacon, Physical Fables, vilL, Expl. 
Divers attempts had l>een made at former courts, and 
the matter referred to some of the magistrates and some 
of the elders ; but still it came to no effect. 
Winthrop, Hist New England, I. 888. 
You have not only been careful of my fortune, which 
was the effect of your nobleness, lint you have been soli- 
citous of uiy reputation, which is that of your kimlus. 
Dri/den. Account of Amius Mirabilis. 
effectible 
The Turks In the work stood their ground, and fired 
with terrible effect into the whirlwind that was rushing 
upon them 
Arch. Forbes, Souvenirs of some Continent*, p. 06. 
2. Power to produce consequences or results ; 
force; validity; account: as, the obligation is 
void and of no effect. 
Christ is become of no effect unto you. OaL T. 4. 
3. Purport; import or general intent: as, he 
immediately wrote to that effect; his speech 
was to the effect that, etc. 
The effect of which seith thus In wordes fewe. 
Chaucer, Pity, 1. 6. 
They spake to her to that effect. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22. 
When I the scripture ones or twyes hadde redde, 
And knewe therof all the hole effecte. Uawes. 
We quietly and quickly answered him, both what wee 
were, and whither bound, relating the effect of our Com- 
mission. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith'i True Travels, II. 42. 
4. A state or course of accomplishment or 
fulfilment; effectuation; achievement; opera- 
tion : as, to bring a plan into effect; the medi- 
cine soon took effect. 
Not so worthily to be brought to heroical effect by for- 
tune or necessity. Sir P. Sidney. 
5. Actual fact; reality; not mere appearance : 
preceded by in. 
And thise images, wel then mayst espye. 
To the ne to hem-self mowe nought profyte, 
For '" effect they been nat worth a myte. 
Cliaun-r, Second Nun's Tale (ed. Skeat), O, 611. 
No other in effect than what it seems. 
Sir J. Denham, Cooper's Hill. 
6. Mental impression ; general result upon the 
mind of what is apprehended by any of the fac- 
ulties : as, the effect of a view, or of a picture. 
The effect was heightened by the wild and lonely nature 
of the place. Irving. 
lie carries his love of effect far beyond the limits of 
moderation. Macaulay, On History. 
I was noting the good effect of the cinnamon-colored la- 
teen-sails against the dazzling white masonry. 
T. B. Aldrich, Ponkapog to Pesth, p. 218. 
In the best age of Greek art the jeweller obtained varied 
effects by his perfect mastery over the gold itself, and made 
comparatively little use of such precious stones as were 
then known, except in rings. 
C. T. Kewton, Art and Archreol., p. 395. 
7. pi. [After F. effets, effects, chattels, effets 
mobiliers, movable property; cf. effet, a bill, 
bill of exchange, effets publics, stocks, funds.] 
Goods; movables; personal estate, in tew: (a) 
Property ; whatever can be turned into money. (6) Per- 
sonal property. 
A few words sufficed to explain everything, and in ten 
minutes our effects were deposited in the guest's room of 
the bailsman s house. //. Taylor, .Northern Travel, p. 127. 
8f. The conclusion ; the denouement of a story. 
Now to the effect, now to the fmyt of al, 
Why I have told this storye, and telleu shal. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1160. 
Effect of a machine, in mech., the useful work perform- 
ed in some interval of time of definite length. For ef- 
fect, with the design of creating an impression ; ostenta- 
tiously. Hall effect, the deflection, within Its conduc- 
tor, of an electric current passing through a magnetic field. 
Peltier effect, the heating or cooling of a junction of 
dissimilar metals by the passage of an electric current 
Thomson effect, the evolution or absorption of heat by 
an electric current in flowing from one point In a con- 
ductor to another at a different temperature. To give 
effect to, to make valid ; carry out in practice ; push to 
Its legitimate or natural result. To take effect, to oper- 
ate or begin to operate. =Syn. 1. Effect, Consequence, Re- 
mit ; event, issue. Effect is the closest and strictest of these 
words, both philosophically and popularly representing 
the immediate product of a cause : as, every effect must 
have an adequate cause; the effect of a flash of lightning. 
A consequence is, in the common use of the word, more 
remote, and not so closely linked to a cause as effect ; it Is 
that which follows. Remit may be near or remote ; it is 
often used in the singular to express the sum of the effects 
or consequences, viewed as making an end. 
Find out the cause of this effect. Shot., Hamlet, II. 2. 
Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their ter- 
rible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that 
went before consequences that are hardly ever confined 
to ourselves. George Eliot, Adam Bede, xvi. 
Of what mighty endeavour begun 
What results insufficient remain. 
Ou-en Meredith, Epilogue. 
7. Goods, Chattels, etc. See property. 
effector (e-fek'ter), w. One who or that which 
effects, produces, or causes. Also effector. 
The commemoration of that great work of the creation, 
and paying homage and worship to that infinite lieing 
who was the effector of it 
Derham, Physico-Tbeology, xi. 6. 
effectible (e-fek'ti-bl), a. K effect + -ible.] 
Capable of being done or achieved ; practica- 
ble; feasible. [Rare.] 
Whatsoever . . . is effectible by the most congruous and 
efficacious application of actives to passives, \tcfectible by 
them. Sir M. Hale, Orig. of Mankind, p. 338. 
