e pluribus unum 
ing one nation formed of many independent 
State*. 
epoch (6'pok or op'ok), w. [= F. i /nii/nr = Sp. 
I J g. It. cjioca = I). i-/ii>i/iii' (< F.) = G. epiM'he = 
Dan. epoke = S\v. '/'"' ', ( M ' ' </><><'/<", < Gr. eirox>/, 
, checK, cessation, stop, pause, epocli of a star, 
i. e., the point at which it seems to halt after 
ivarhing the highest, and generally the place of 
a stiii ; liciico, a historical epoch; < i~i ,\nv, hold 
in, check, < i~i, upon, + cx tl> \ have, hold, = Skt. 
\fxnli, bear, undergo, endure.] 1. A point of 
time from which succeeding years are num- 
bered; es| ially, :i .point of I iino distinguished 
by some remarkable event, or the event itself 
as distinguishing the time of its occurrence. 
I li.u l.-l i:<n I vain I the pabn -e hi ell marks it still yn ;tt< ! 
'/"if/< in Itoniun art than his political cluin-rs mark in 
Uoniiui polity. E. A. Freeman, Venice, p. 140. 
It is an epoch in one's life to read a great Imok for tin- 
first time-. J. F. Clarice, Self-Culture, p. 818. 
Hence 2. A specific period of time; any space 
of time considered as a unit with reference to 
some particular characteristic or course of 
events. 
Tim fifteenth century was the unhappy epoch at military 
establishments in time of peace. .!/<"//. /<. 
By the side of the half-naked, running Bedouins, they 
Sthe Turkish infantry] looked as if epoch* disconnected by 
onK centuries had met. tt. F. Burton, El-Medinah, p. 408. 
3. In geol., specifically, one of the shorter di- 
visions of geological time. This word is used dif- 
ferently by different geological writers. Thus, Jukes di- 
vides the entire series of fossiliferons strata into only 
three epoelis, \vhilc Damp, makes eight out of the Lower 
Silurian alone. Some later writers avoid the use of such 
words as ejjoch and -(</>. saying, for instance, instead of 
s;l><< iirii i'i>,-/t nr n,r'', -simply Silurian. 
The " second bottoms," probably, are later than the yel- 
low loam, and belong to the " terrace epoch." 
Jincyc. Brit., XVI. 628. 
4. In outran., an arbitrary fixed date, for which 
the elements of a planetary or come tary orbit, or 
of any motion, are given. - Antiochlan, elephan- 
tine, glacial, Gregorian, etc., epoch, see the adjec- 
tives. -Mohammedan, Olympiadic, Persian, Span- 
ish, etc., epoch. See equivalent phrases under era. 
= 8yn. 1. Epoch, Era, Periixl, Aije. Epoch and era should 
be distinguished, though in common usage they are in- 
terchanged. "An era is a succession of time: an epoch 
is a point of time. An era commonly begins at ail epoch. 
We live in the Christian era, in the I"rotestant era, in the 
era of liberty and letters. The date of the birth of Christ 
was an epoch : the periott of the dawn of the Reformation 
was an epoch" (A. 1'helpn, Eng. Style, p. 365). Period 
may be the opposite of epoch, in heing the date at which 
anything ends, or it may be mere duration, or duration 
frmn point t<> point; the word is very free and often in- 
definite in its range of meaning. The meaning of age is 
modified by its connection with human life, so as often to 
be associated with a pel-son : as, the age of Pericles ; but 
it is also freely applied to time, viewed as a pprunl of some 
length : as, the bronze age the golden aye ; this is an age 
of investigation. 
epocha (ep'6-ka), n. [< ML. epocha : see epoch.'] 
An epoch. [Archaic.] 
The second day of July, 1778, will be the most meraora- 
Me , jHtcha in the history of America. 
J. Adamt, To Mrs. Adams, July 3, 1770. 
but why of that epocha make such a fuss? 
Burin, To Wra. Tytler. 
epochal (ep'o-kal), a. [< epoch + -al.] Be- 
longing to an epoch ; of the nature of an epoch ; 
relating to epochs; marking an epoch. 
Who shall say whether . . . this epic . . . will stand 
out ... as one of the epochal compositions by which an 
age is symbolized? N(, i///m/i, Viet. Poets, p. 180. 
An epin-titil treatment of a portion of general European 
History. Stubbs, Medieval and Modern Hist., p. 96. 
epoch-making(e'pok-ma*kmg),n. [=Q.Fi>n<-ln-- 
iiinr/tciiil.] Constituting an epoch; opening a 
new era ; introducing new conceptions or a new 
method in the treatment of a subject. [Recent.] 
The Methods of F.thics" was published in 1874, but 
win tlier or not most of the joint-work of Profs. Fowler 
and Wilson was written before that time, it is at least fair 
to say that the position of I'rof. sidgwick is not dealt with 
in the way which is demanded by the i-ixH-h-tnakintt char- 
acter of his book. Mind, XII. 596, note. 
epode (ep'od), n. [< OF. eporte, F. epode = Sp. 
rg. It. cpodo, < L. epodos, < Gr. f jr^iiof, an epode, 
an aftersong, adj., singing to or over, < he'i, 
upon, to, besides, + aeifeiv, piftv, sing, > Iffiii, 
asouf;, odo: see ode.'] 1. In anc. proa. : (n) A 
third and metrically different system subjoined 
to two systems (the xtroplir ami aiitixtropltc) 
which are metrically identical or corresponsive, 
anil forming with them one pericope or group 
of systems. 
The Third Stanza was called the />/.- (it may be as be- 
ins: the After-snim) \\hieh tlicv sunn in the middle, neither 
turning to one Han. I nor the other. 
M, The Pindaric Ode. 
(6) A shorter colon, subjoined to a longer colon, 
and constituting one period with it; especially, 
1070 
such a colon, as a separate line or verse, form- 
ing either the second lino of a distich or the 
final lino of a system or stan/'i. As the closing 
viTse of a system, sometimes called eplii/i,/, 
(c) A poem consisting of such distichs. Archl- 
lorlius (about 700 D.I'.) til-stint! mince. I tlicsc. The I 
of Horace are a collection of poems so called because 
mostly composed in epo.lir ,ii-tielis. 
Horace seems to have purged himself from those xple- 
netic retle< tions iii those odes and epoden, before he un- 
dertook the noble work of satires. 
Dryilen, Ded. of Juvenal. 
I shall still be very ready to write a satire upon the 
clergy, and an epode against historiographers, whenever 
.Miii are hard pressed. Letters, I. 262. 
Specifically 2. In muair, a refrain or burden. 
epodic(e-pod'ik), a. [(.epode + -ic.] Pertain- 
ing to or containing an epode. 
epollicate (e-pol'i-kat), a. [< NL. epolliniinx, 
' L. e- priv. -f- pollex (pollic-), the thumb.] In 
zoiil., having no pollex or thumb. 
Epollicatit (o-pol-i-ka'ti), n.iil. [NL. : see epol- 
l ii-ii tc.] A group of birds Having no hallux. 
Epomophorus (ep-o-mof'o-rus), n. [NL., < Gr. 
t'jri, upon, + uuof, shoulder, + -^opof, bearing, 
< Qcpeiv = E. oear 1 .] A remarkable genus of 
fruit-bats, of the family Pteropodidce and subor- 
der Megachiroptera, confined to ultra-Saharic 
Africa. They have, in the males, large distensible pha- 
ryngeal air-sacs, and i>eculiar glandular pouches on the 
neck near each shoulder, lined with long yellowish hairs 
projecting or forming a tuft like an epaulet, whence the 
name ; also, a white tuft of hairs on the ears, the tail ru- 
dimentary or wanting, and the premaxillaries united in 
front. The teeth are : incisors, 2 or 1 in each half of each 
jaw ; canines, 1 ; premolars, 2 in upper jaw and 3 in lower ; 
and molars, 1 In upper jaw and 2 in lower. There are 
about half a dozen species, of which E. franqueti is a lead- 
ing example. They feed chiefly on figs. 
eponychium (ep-o-nik'i-um), n. [NL., < Gr. 
eiri, upon, + oinf (bvvx-), nail: see onyx.] In 
embryol., a mass of hardened epidermis on the 
dorsal surface of the distal extremity of a pha- 
lanx of the embryo, preceding the f ormation of 
a true nail. 
eponym (ep'o-nim), n. [Formerly also written 
eponyme; < Gr. eTtam/ioc., given as a name, sur- 
named, named after a person or thing, giving 
one's name to (as a noun, in pi., ciruw/ioi, sc. 
ypufc;, eponymous heroes, legendary or real 
founders of tribes or cities, as those after whom 
the Attic phylae had their names), < ciri, upon, 
to, + ovv/ia, -<Eolic for ovofia = L. nomen = E. 
name: see oiiym.] 1. A name of a place, peo- 
ple, or period derived from that of a person. 
The famous Assyrian Eponym Canon, which gives an 
unbroken series of the officers after whom each year was 
named for alpout two hundred and sixty-five years, and 
also notes the accession of each successive Assyrian king 
during that time. BiUiollieca Sacra, XLV. 53. 
2. A name of a mythical or historical person- 
age from whom the name of a country or people 
has come or is supposed to have come : thus, 
Italus, Romulus, Brutus, Heber, the names of 
imaginary persons invented to account for 
Italy, Borne, Britain, Hebrew, are mythical 
eponyms ; Bolivar is the historical eponym of 
Bolivia. 
In short, wherever there was a clan there was an Epo- 
nym, or founder, whether real or legendary, of that clan. 
II'. E. Heitrn, Aryan Household, p. 145. 
3. A name of something, as a part or organ of 
the body, derived from a person : thus, circle of 
Willis, fissure of Sylvius, aqueduct of Fallopius, 
are eponyms. [Rare.] 
The very awkward dionymic eponym, Circulus Willisi. 
Wilder, Trans. Amer. Neurol. Assoc. (1885), p. 349. 
eponymal (e-pon'i-mal), a. [< eponym + -al.] 
1 . Of or pertaining to an eponymos. 2. Same 
as eponymic. 
eponymic (ep-o-nim'ik), a. [< Gr. iiruwuiKof, 
called after or' by the name of a person, < J'TU- 
ri'//of, given as a name : see epoiiym.] 1. Relat- 
ing or pertaining to an eponym : as, an epo- 
i! ii i, i a- name or legend. 
l-:i',innii,' myths, which account for the parentage of a 
tribe by turning its name into the name of an imaginary 
ancestor. E. B. Tylor, Prim. Culture, I. 7. 
2. Name-giving, mythically or historically; 
from whom the name of a country, people, or 
period is derived : as. Hgllen was the eponymic 
ancestor of the Hellenes or Greeks. 
The invention of ;m <>snirs fn.m pMtyMifl heroes or 
name ancestors lias . . . often had a serions effect in cor- 
rupting historic truth, by helping IIP fill ancient annals 
with swarms of lietiti.ms m-m-al,. 
/:. /;. T : ilr. Prim. Culture, I. 361. 
eponymist (e-pon'i-mist), ii. [<<yji/m + -int.] 
One from whom a country or people is named; 
eprouvette 
an eponymic nncrslor, hero, or founder. (Hail- 
stone. 
eponymos (o-|pon'i-mos), . and a. [Gr. iirinnt- 
/jof : sec t-i>nnijiu.~\ A titular epithet of the first 
archon (archon eponymox) in ancient Athens, 
and of the first ephor (<-plnn- <y;/i///(<) in Spar- 
ta, liccause the year of the service of each wan 
designated by his name in the public records, 
etc. 
eponymous (e-pon'i-mus), a. [< Gr. evaw/iof, 
given as a name: see eponyui.J Giving one's 
name to a tribe, people, city, year, or period; 
regarded as the founder or originator. 
Will Summer the name of Henry VIII. 's court-fool, 
whose celebrity probably made him eponymouM of the 
members of his profession ill general. 
A. W. Ward, Eng. l>ram. Lit., I. 144. 
Lydus and Asies are . . . evonywoiu heroes ; Meles Is 
an ideal founder of the capital. 
G. Jtairlimmn, Origin of Nations, I. 74. 
eponymy (e-pon'i-mi), n.; pi. eponymies (-miz). 
[< Gr. iituwfi'ta, a surname, < iiruw/u>f, given as 
a name, giving a name : see eponym, eponymos.] 
1. The office, dignity, or prerogatives of an 
eponymos. 2. The peri<Jd or year of office of 
an eponymos : used, as at Athens, as a unit of 
reckoning and reference for dates. 
The earliest examples of the barred form of the letter 
shin are found on three tablets dated from the eponymiet 
of gilim-assur and Sin-sar-uzur (6. r >o - 640 n. c.). 
Ixiini- Taylor, The Alphabet, I. 237. 
epopphoron (ep-6-of'o-ron), .; p pl. epoophora 
(-r&). [NL., < G"r. tin, upon, 4- o0opof, laying 
eggs: see oiiphorous.] Same ta parotarium. 
epopee (ep-o-pe'), n. [< NL. epopteia, < Gr. 
i-rro-rroiia, epic poetry or an epic poem, < IJTOT, 
an epic, + iroieiv, make.] 1. An epic poem. 
The Kalevala, or heroic epopee of the Finns. 
Encyc. Brit., V. 308. 
2. The history, action, or fable which makes 
or is suitable for the subject of an epic. 
The stories were an endless epopee of suffering. 
6. Keunan, The Century, XXXV. 760. 
epopoeia (ep-o-pe'ia), n. Same as epopee. 
epopoeist (ep-o-pe'ist), . [< epopoeia + -ist.] 
A writer of epopees. 
It is not long since two of our best-known epoi*ei*tt, or, 
to use the more common term, of our novel-writers, have 
concluded each a work published by instalments. 
S. Phillija, Essays from the Times, II. 321. 
epopt (ep'opt), . [< NL. epopta, < Gr. ei. 
a watcher, spectator, one admitted to the third 
grade of the Eleusinian mysteries, < eir6\j>fad(u, 
fut. associated efyopav, look on, < i-i, on, + 6pav, 
fut. injifatiai, look, see.] A seer ; one initiated 
into the secrets of any mystical system. Car- 
lyle. 
epopta (e-pop'ta), n. ; pi. epopUe (-te). [NL. : 
see epopt.] Same as epopt. 
epoptic (e-pop'tik), a. [< epopt + -ic.] 1. 
Having the character or faculty of an epopt or 
seer. 2. Perceived by an epopt: as, an epop- 
tic vision Epoptic figures, in optics. See idiopha- 
BMML 
Eporosa (ep-o-ro'sfi), n. pi. [NL., neut. pi. of 
eporosus : see eporosc.] A group of stone-cor- 
als with eporose or imperforate com Hum. See 
Aporosn. 
eporose (e-po'ros), a. [< NL. eporosus, < L. *- 
priv. + porus, pore : see pore, porous.] With- 
out pores; aporose. 
epos (ep'os), n. [< L. epos, < Gr. liroc,, a word, 
a speech, tale, saying, pi. poetry in heroic verse, 
orig. ffirof = Skt. radios, a word; akin to ty 
("Forr-f ) = Skt. rdclt = L. vox (roc-), voice : see 
voice, vocal, vowel.] 1. An epic poem, or its 
subject ; an epopee ; epic poetry. 
The early epos of Greece is represented by the Iliad and 
the Odyssey, Heslod and the Homeric hymns; also by 
some fragments of the " Cyclic " poets. Pro/. Jebb. 
2. In anc. pros., a dactylic hexameter. 3, In 
paleography, a series of words or letters, ap- 
proximately of the length of a dactylic hexam- 
eter, anciently used as a line of normal size in 
writing manuscripts or estimating their length. 
It seems to have averaged from 34 to 38 letters. Seecotoni, 
n., 3, and stichomctry. 
eposculationt (ep-os-ku-la'shon ), H. [< Gr. M, 
upon, + L. osculatio(n-), a kissing : see oscula- 
tion.] A kissing. Becon. 
epotationt (ep-o-ta'shon), n. [< L. epotare, 
drink out, drink' np, < e~ out, + potare. drink: 
see potation.] A drinking or drinking out. 
When drunkenness reigns, the devil is at war with man, 
and the epotationt of dumb liquor damn him. 
t'flthaia, Resolv.- 
eprOUVette (e-pro-vef), . [F. fprmintte. < 
-; try. assay, < <- + pruun-r, try: see 
