family Meloidte. It comprises those species of the group 
Cantharidei In which the penultimate la real Joint is not 
bllobed, the mandibles ore not prolonged beyond the la- 
brum, and the claws are divided into two nearly equal 
The epic cycle. See 
II. it. A narrative poem of elevated charac- 
ter, describing generally the exploits of heroes; 
an epic poem. See I. 
lie burnt 
Bis epic, his King Arthur, some twelve books. 
Teunynon, The Epic. 
Epicaerus (op-i-se'rus), n. [NL., < Gr. minaipo^, 
seasonable, opportune, important, vital, < cm, 
upon, -t- xoipoc, fit time, opportunity.] A genus of 
rhynchophorous beetles, of the subfamily Otio- 
rhynchiiue. It was established by Schbnherr upon a few 
Central and North American species, having the body 
epic 
[NL.,<Gr.e 
the surface, < bruaitn, 
.1,^ ,.,....,,.. ...,.. >,,. .. . upon, + aaieiv, burn : 
popular origin, but i >r or leal ofoaely from the Beeootutto.] A genus of blister-beetles, of the 
'>>" ~ l.v,,n|,l,.* arc: in Latin, Virgil's ftuid, family Mi />.'/.> . , ,, m prlses those species of the group 
and the modern epics; in Italian, the romantic epics Ari 
osto's Orlando Furioto and Taaso's Jenualem Delivered ; 
in Portuguese, Camocnss l.uriad; In English, Milton's 
Paradise Last and Paradite Kei/aiaed; in German, Klop- 
stock's Menial. An epic in which animals are actors, ex- 
empliilcd in the Homeric Batrachomyamachia and In the 
medieval Low Herman Heinuird the Fox, has been called 
the oni?no( einc. 
According to Aristotle, the story of an epic poem must 
be on a great and noble theme : It must be one In itself. 
/(. C. JebU, Primer of Greek Lit., I. ii. 2. 
Hence 2. Of heroic character or quality ; bold 
in action ; imposing. 
"Take Lllla, then, for heroine," clamour'd he, 
"And make her some great ITlncess, six feet high. 
Grand, epic, homicidal. " Tennyson, Princess, Prol. 
Blister-beetles. 
a, EficaMta fardalis ; b, llfifauta macuta/a. 
( Lines show natural sizes. ) 
parts. The anterior femora have a sericeous spot, and 
the antenna; are filiform. The numerous species are of 
medium size, elongate, cylfndric, and more or less densely 
punctulate and pubescent. K. pardalu {J. L. Le Conte) 
and E. mamlata (Say) are not rare In the western terri- 
tories of the United States ; both are black, with dense 
yellowish-white pubescence, and have on the elytra de- 
nuded black spots, large and smooth In K. pardalu, small, 
opaque, and pubescent in /.'. maculata. K. marginata 
(Fabricius), which Is common in the Atlantic States, is 
black, with the head and thorax usually covered with ci- 
nereous pubescence, and the elytra either entirely black 
or narrowly margined with cinereous. The larv&e of Epi- 
eauta prey upon locusts' eggs. 
epiceaet, epicedt (ep'i-sed, -sed), . [< LL. 
epieedium, q. v.] A funeral song or discourse ; 
an epieedium. 
And on the banckes each cypress bow'd his head, 
To hear the swan sing her owne epiced. 
W. Browne, Britannia's Pastorals, i. 5. 
epicedia. . Plural of epieedium. 
epicedial (ep-i-se'di-al), a. [< epieedium + -al.] 
Same as epicedian. 
epicedian (ep-i-se'di-an), a. and n. [< epiee- 
dium + -an.] I. a. Of or pertaining to an epi- 
eedium; elegiac. 
Epicedian song, a song sung ere the corpse be buried. 
Cockcrow. 
U. n. An epieedium. 
Black-ey'd swans 
Did sing as woful epiccdiant 
As they would straiglitways die. 
Marlowe and Chapman, Hero and Leander, Iv. 
epieedium (ep-i-se'di-um), . ; pi. ejncedia (-S). 
[LL., < Gr. htud/Seim. a dirge, neut. of ewiKqdfw;, 
of or for a funeral, < iiri, on, + nijdof, care, sor- 
row, esp. for the dead, funeral rites.] A fu- 
neral song or dirge. 
Fuuerall songs were called Epicedia if they were sung 
by many. Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 39. 
A more moving quill 
Than Spenser used when he gave Astrophil 
A living epieedium. Mastingcr, .Hero sed Serin. 
Nor were men wanting among ourselves wh> 
all they had and all they were tip democracy, th 
had an air of high-breeding to join in the shallow epice- 
diuin that our bubble had burst. 
Lumll, Study Windows, p. 153. 
epicene (ep'i-sen), a. [< L. epiaenus, < Gr. 
eiriKotvof, common, < i iri, upon, to, + Koiv6f, com- 
mon: see cenobite, etc.] Belonging to or in- 
cluding both sexes : especially, in grammar, ap- 
plied to nouns having only one form of gender 
to indicate animals of both sexes: thus, the 
Greek oif and Latin ovis, a sheep, are feminine 
words, whether applied to males or to females. 
Not the male generation of critics, not the literary prigs 
epicene, not of decided sex the blues celestial. J. Wilson. 
Imbricated Snout-beetle (Ffictfrus imbricatus}. (Line shows 
natural sire. } 
more or less pyriforin, densely scaly, the elytra brownish 
or I ut eons, with the tip and two sinuous hands much paler. 
E. imbricatu* (Say), the imbricated snout-beetle, is the 
best-known species, abundant in the eastern United States; 
it feeds upon many different plants, and is frequently very 
Injurious to cabbages. It is extremely variable in size, 
shape, and coloration. Its larva is still unknown. 
epical (ep'i-kal), a. [< epic + -al.] Epic; of 
epic or heroie'character ; like an epic. 
Life made by duty epical 
And rhythmic with the truth. 
Whittier, My Namesake. 
epically (ep'i-kal-i), adv. In an epic manner ; 
as an epic. 
epicalyx (op-i-ka'liks), n. ; pi. epicalyces (-kal'- 
i-sez). [< Gr. M, upon, + wuif, calyx.] In 
hot., the outer accessory calvx in plants with 
two calyces, formed either 01 sepals or bracts, 
as in mallow and potentilla. 
epicanthi, . Plural of epicanthus. 
epicanthic (ep-i-kan'thik), n. [< epicanthis + 
-)V.] Of or pertaining to an epicanthis; grow- 
ing in or upon a canthus or corner of the eye. 
epicanthis (ep-i-kan'this), . ; pi. epicanthides 
(-thi-dez). [NL., < Gr. crnxaMc, equiv. toeyKav- 
0ic, a tumor in the corner of the eye, < M, upon, 
+ KaM;, the corner of the eye : see canthus.] 
In anat., a fold of skin, congenital in origin, 
concealing the inner, rarely the outer, canthus 
of the eye. 
epicanthus (ep-i-kan'thus), n.; pi. epicanthi 
(-thi). [NL.] Same as epicuntlii.i. 
epicardial (ep-i-kiir'di-al), a. [< epicardium + 
-n I. ] Pertaining to the epicardium. 
epicardium (ep-i-kar'di-um), n. [NL., < Gr. 
exi, upon, + Kapfiia = E. heart.] In anat., the 
"10 pericardium, 
'i-dan), n. One of the 
carult -. 
Epicarides (ep-i-kar'i-dez), n. pi [NL., < Gr. 
iiri, on, + napiy, a shrimp.] In Latreille's sys- 
tem (1826), a section of the Liunean genus 
Oiiiacus, containing small parasitic isopods 
without eyes or antennae, ana corresponding to 
the modern family Bonurida: They are para- 
sit k- upon shrimps. [Not in use.] 
epicarp (op'i-kiirp), . [< Gr. eirl, upon, + 
Mi/.>.Tof, fruit.] In hot., the outer skin of fruits, 
I ho fleshy substance or edible portion being 
termed tho HHMXVIC/*, and the inner portion the 
rHiioriir/i. SIT cut under mdooarp. 
epicatophora ()> i-ka-tof'o-ra), H. In astrol., 
the i iirhth house of the heavens. 
the earth s surface from which eai 
waves seem to go out as a center. It is situ- 
ated directly above the true center of disturb- 
ance, or seismic focus. 
epicentra, . Plural of epicentrttm. 
epicentral (ep-i-sen'tral), a. and n. [< epicen- 
triim + -al.] I. a. 1. Situated upon a verte- 
bral centrum, as a spine of a fish's back-bone. 
2. Pertaining to an epicenter. 
II. n. An epicentral scleral spine, adhering 
to a vertebral centrum. 
These "scleral "spines are termed, according to the ver- 
tebral element they may adhere to, " eplneurals," "epicen- 
f rub," and "epipleurals"; . . . all three kinds are present 
in the herring. Owen, Anat., I. 43. 
epiclesis 
epicentrum (ep-i-sen'trum), .; pi. epiccntra 
(-tril). [NL.: sec epicenter.] Same VLB epicenter. 
The point or area on the surface of the ((round above the 
origin [of an earthquake] Is called the fvicenirum. 
J. MUnc, Earthquakes, p. 9. 
epicerastict (ep'i-e-ra8'tik),o. [< Gr. htnepa- 
OTMcof , tempering the humors, < ivintimwivat, mix 
in addition, < iirl, upon, to, + lapawivai, mix : 
see crasis. ] Lenient ; assuaging. Smart. 
epiceratohyal (ep-i-ser'a-to-hi'al), n. and o. 
[< Gr. iiri, on, + ceratonyal, q. v.] I. n. A 
bone of the hyoid arch of fishes, situated be- 
tween the interhyal and the basihyal, and above 
the ceratohyal. 
U. a. Situated over or above the ceratohyal ; 
pertaining to the epiceratohyal. 
The lower part of the [hyoid] arch retains its connection 
with the upper part, in tl-hc-. by means of an interhyal 
piece, between which and the haslhyal are generally found 
tpiceratvhyal, ceratohyal, and hypohyal pieces. 
hand. Nat. Hut., III. 21. 
epicerebral (ep-i-ser'f-bral), n. [< Gr. iirt, 
upon, + L. cerebrum, the brain, + -/.] Situ- 
ated upon the brain. 
epichile (ep'i-kil), n. [< NL. epiehilium.'] Same 
as epiehilium. 
epiehilium (ep-i-kil'i-um), n. ; pi. riiicliilia (-ft). 
[NL., < Or. imxtt/fa, on or at the lips or brim, 
* firi, on, + ^fiXof. lip, brim.] In hot., the ter- 
minal lobe of the lip of an orchid, when the lip 
is so divided. 
epichirema (ep'i-W-re'mii), n, ; pi. epichire- 
mata (-ma-tfi). [NL., < Gr. eirtxeiptipa, an un- 
dertaking, an attempted proof, < firiritpeiv, un- 
dertake, attempt, put one's hand to, < ciri, upon, 
+ x e 'Pt the hand.] In logic : (a) As used by 
Aristotle, a reasoning based on premises gen- 
erally admitted but open to doubt. (6) As 
commonly used, a syllogism having the truth 
of one or both of its premises confirmed by a 
proposition annexed (called a prosyllogism), so 
that an abridged compound argument is formed : 
as, All sin is dangerous ; covctousness is sin 
(for it is a transgression of the law) ; therefore, 
covetousness is dangerous. "For it is a trans- 
gression of the law " is a prosyllogism, con- 
firming the proposition that "covetousness is 
sin." 
epichordal (ep-i-k&r'dal), a. [< Gr. M, upon, 
+ xop'tfi chord, cord (see chord), + -al.] In 
anat., situated upon or about the intracranial 
part of the uotochord : applied to certain seg- 
ments of the brain : opposed to prechordal. 
Even if there proves to be no true serial homology be- 
tween the prawhordal and epichordal regions of the brain. 
Wilder, N. Y. Med. Jour., March 21, 18S5, p. 328. 
epichorial (ep-i-ko'ri-al), n. [< Gr. cntxu/uoc,, in 
orof thecountry,< i-i, on, in,+ jcipa, country.] 
Of or pertaining to the country; rural. Also 
epichoric, epichoristic. [Rare.] 
Local or epichorial superstitions from every district of 
Europe come forward by thousands. 
De '/"""''.". Modern Superstition. 
epichoriambic (ep-i-ko-ri-am'bik), a. [< Gr. 
emxoptapfltKdt, having a choriambus following 
upon a different measure, < hri, upon, in addi- 
tion, + ^opia/u/Dof, choriambus.] In anc. pros., 
containing a choriambus ( w w ) preceded 
by a trochaic dipody: an epithet applied by 
some Greek metricians to verses, such as the 
Sapphic hendecasyllabic and the Eupolidean, 
which are now classed as logacedic meters. 
See c\rvmif. 
epichoric (ep-i-ko'rik), a. [As epichor-ial + 
-i/-.\ Same as epichorial. 
The epichoric alphabet was supplanted by the Ionic va- 
riety. The Academy, March 3, 1888, p. 154. 
epichoristic (ep'i-ko-ris'tik), a. [< epichor-ial 
+ -ist + -ic.] Same as epichorial. 
The epichorintic Idiom has suffered a disintegration 
which is equivalent to absorption into the lingua franca 
of Dorism. Amer. Jour. Philol., VII. 436. 
Epichthonii (ep-ik-tho'ni-i), n. pi. [NL., < Gr. 
cm, on, + x0<-> v , the earth.] A group of wood- 
peckers which frequent the ground, as the spe- 
cies of Gecinus, founded by Gloger in 1842. 
epiclesis (ep-i-kle'sis), n. [Gr. ciriiihiaif, a call- 
ing upon, invocation, < aruaAftv, call upon, < 
tvi, upon, + Ka2.tiv, call: see calends, ccclesia, 
etc.] In liturgies, that part of the prayer of 
consecration, as found in many liturgies, in 
which, after the institution and great oblation 
(or in some forms after the institution but be- 
fore the oblation), God is called upon to send 
down the Holy Spirit upon the worshipers and 
upon the sacramental gifts. Also epiklesit. 
