E L A 
E L A 
Spreading very much, twice as long as the calyx. Sta¬ 
mina: filaments five, Tubulate, bent back, a riling from 
a gland beneath, the germ; antheras roundifii, erect. Pif- 
tillum: germ round ifh, conical, placed on a gland; ffyle 
conical ; ffigma obtufe, bifid. Pericarpium: drupe ovate, 
obtufe. Seed: innovate; fliell thick, and very hard; 
two.celled ; kernels oblong, comprelfed.— Effential Cha. 
ratter. Corolla, five-petalled ; drupe ovate, with a twog 
celled nut. 
Species, r. Elaeodendrum orientale : a moderate fized 
twiggy (lirub or tree, a native of the oriental regions; with 
the leaves ovate-lanceolate, fmooth, fometimes flightly 
waved, and fometimes even a little inclining to a fubfer- 
raied appearance on the upper parts of the fhoots. Flow¬ 
ers borne towards the ends of the branches, Handing by 
twos and threes; of a pale green colour, fupported on 
fhortifh pedicels, each of which fprings from a fomewhat 
Ionian' common pedicel. The lower fhoots, or thofe 
neared the ground, appear to be fomewhat procufnbent, 
and have narrower and longer leaves in proportion than 
the upper ones; the nerves or midribs of thefe leaves are 
alfo of a redd ifh colour. 
i. Elreodendrum argan : branches fpiny ; leaves ovate, 
obtufe. This is a middle-fized tree, with fhort thickifh 
fpines at the ends of the branches. It is called argan by 
tlie Moors, who exprefs an oil from the fruit, which the 
Europeans ufe in a variety of works, and the Moors for 
the table. Native of the woods of Morocco, whence it 
was fent to Retzius by profeffor Scluilten. 
ELvEOM'ELI, J. with ancient phyficians, a kind of 
fweet oil of the confidence of honey, faid to flow from 
the trunk of a tree in Syria, and to be very efficacious in 
bilious complaints. 
EL.IEOSAC'CHARUM, f. in pharmacy, a compofi- 
tion of oil and fugar. 
ELiEOTHE'SIUM, f. in antiquity, a room or place 
where the athletae were wont to bathe and anoint thent- 
fel ves. 
E'LAH, [Heb. an oak.] A valley of Palefline, in the 
land of Judah, remarkable for a battle fought between 
the Ifraelites under king Saul, and the Philiftines, in 
which the latter were vanquifhed ; and where David flew 
Goliah. i Sam. xviii. 19. xxi. 9. 
ELAHA'JAN, a town of Arabia, in the country of 
Yemen : too miles fouth-eaff of Amanzirifdin. 
ELAIOCAR'POS. See Elsocarpus and Dicera. 
ELA'IS, yi in botany. See Eljeis. 
E'LAM, [qSj; Heb. a young man.] The ancient name 
of Perfia, fo named from Elam, eldefl fon of Shem, whofe 
defeendants, probably, firft fettled there. Chedorlaomer, 
king of this country, together with his confederates, were 
vanquifhed by the patriarch Abraham, when they invaded 
Canaan. Gen.x iv. Jer.x lix. 34. 
E'LAN, a town of Ruffia, in the country of the Cofacs, 
on the Don : fixty-eight miles fouth-welf of Archadinfkaia. 
E'LAN, a town of South Wales, in the county of 
Brecknock. 
To ELAN'CE, v. a. [elancer, Fr.] To throw out; to 
dart; to caff as a dart: 
Harfh words, that once danc'd, muff ever fly 
Irrevocable. Prior. 
ELAPHEBO'LIA, f. in Grecian antiquity, a feflival 
in honour of Diana the huntrefs. In the celebration a 
cake was made in the form of a deer (ehatpoi;), and offered 
to the goddefs. It owed its inftitution to the follow¬ 
ing circumflance: When the Phocians had been feverely 
beaten by the Thelfaliaris, they refolved, by the perfua- 
fion of one Deiphantus, to raife a pile of combuffible ma¬ 
terials, and burn their wives, children, and effects, rather 
than fubmit to the enemy. This refolution was unani-' 
moufly approved by the women, who decreed Deiphantus 
a crown for his magnanimity. When every thing was 
prepared, before they fired the pile, they engaged their 
enemies, and fought with fuch defperate fury, that they 
399 
totally routed them, and obtained a complete vidtory. 
In commemoration of this unexpected fuccefs, this feffi- 
val was inftituted to Diana, and obferved with the greateff 
folemnity. 
ELAPFIEBO'LIUM, f. in Grecian antiquity, the ninth 
month of the Athenian year, anfweriog to the latter part 
of February and beginning of March. It confided of thirty 
days; and took its name from the feflival elaphebolia, 
kept in this month, in honour of Diana the huntrefs, as 
mentioned in the preceding article. 
FILA'PHRIUM, f. in botany. See Fagara. 
To ELAP 1 DATE, v. a. [ elapidare , Lat.] To clear a 
place of Hone. 
ELAPID A'TION, f. A clearing of Hones. 
To ELAP'SE, v. n. [ elapfus , Lat.] To pafs away; to 
glide away ; to run out without notice.—There is a do- 
cible feafon, a learning-time in youth, which, differed to 
elapfe , and no foundation laid, feldom returns. C/ariJfa. 
ELAP'SION.y. The aft of Hiding away; the aft of 
palling away without notice. Scott. 
To ELA'QUEATE, v. a. [e, from, and laqueus, Lat. a 
trap.] To difentangle ; to fet free from a fnare. 
ELAQJJEA'TION, f. The aft of difentangling ; the 
aft of fetting free. 
ELARAHAL', or El Fjarahal, a town of Spain, in 
the province of Seville: twenty miles north-wed of Se¬ 
ville. 
ELARGA'TION, f. [e, from, and largior, Lat. to 
beHow.] The act of freely beHowing. 
ELASE'RE, a town of Arabia, in the country of Ye¬ 
men : twenty-eight miles north of Chamir. 
ELAS'MIS,_/i A trivial name for a genus of talcs, 
compofed of fmall plates in form of fpangles ; and either 
Angle, and not farther fiffile ; or, if complex, only fiffile 
to a certain degree, and in fomewhat thick laminae. Of 
thefe talcs there are feveral varieties, fome with large 
and others with fmall fpangles, which differ alfo in co¬ 
lour and other peculiarities. 
ELAS'TIC, or Elastical, adj. Gr.] Having 
the pov/er of returning to the form from which it is dii- 
torted or withheld ; fpringy ; having the power of a 
fpring.—A fermentation muH be excited in fome affign- 
able place, which may expand itfelfby its elajlical power, 
and break through, where it meets with the weakeff re¬ 
finance. Bentley. 
By what elajlic engines did Hie rear, 
The Harry roof, and roll the orbs in air. Blackmore. 
All bodies partake, more or lefs, of the properties of 
elafficity ; though perhaps none are perfectly elallic, as 
none are found to reHore themfelves with a force equal to 
that with which they are tompreffed. The principal 
phenomena obfervable in elaffic bodies are, 1. That an 
elaHic body, (i. e. a body perfectly elaHic, if any fuch 
there be) endeavours to reHore itfelf with the fame force 
with which it is preffed or bent. 2. An elaHic body ex¬ 
erts its force equally towards all Tides ; though the effect 
is chiefly found on that fide where the refiffance is weak¬ 
eff ; as is evident in the cafe of a gun exploding a ball, 
a bow fliooting out an arrow, &c. 3. ElaHic bodies, in 
what manner foever Hruck, or impelled, are infieCted and 
rebound after the fame manner: thus, a bell yields the 
fame mufical found, in what manner or on what fide fo¬ 
ever it be Hruck ; the fame of a tenfe or mufical chord ; 
and a body rebounds from a plane in the fame angle in 
which it meets or Hrikes it, making the angle of incidence 
equal to the angle of reflection, whether the intenlity of 
the ffroke be greater or lefs. 4. A body perfectly fluid, 
if any fuch there be, cannot be elaHic, if it be allowed 
that its parts cannot be comprelfed. 5. A body perfectly 
Eolid, if any fuch there be, cannot be elaHic ; becaufe, 
having no pores, it is incapable of being compreffed, 
6. The elaffic properties of bodies feern to differ, accord¬ 
ing to their greater or lefsdenlity or compadlnefs, though 
not in an equal degree ; thus, metals are rendered move 
compact 
