Bryson's Dictionary For Writers And Editors (v5.0) (16 page)

envelop.
(Verb.) To wrap up.

envelope.
(Noun.) Container for letters, or anything that envelops.

envisage, envision.
Both words suggest the calling up of a mental image.
Envision
is slightly the loftier of the two. You might envision a better life for yourself, but if all you are thinking about is how the dining room will look when the walls have been repainted,
envisage
is probably the better word. If no mental image is involved, neither word is correct. A rough rule is that if you find yourself following either word with
that,
you are using it incorrectly, as here: “He envisaged that there would be no access to the school from the main road” (cited by Gowers).

EOKA.
Ethniki Organosis Kypriakou Agonos (National Organization for Cypriot Struggle), Greek Cypriot underground movement.

E.On.
German utility company.

epaulet.
A decoration worn on the shoulder of a uniform; in French,
épaulette.

EPCOT.
Environmental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, Disney World, Florida.

épée.
Thin, flexible sword used in fencing.

ephemera,
pl.
ephemeras/ephemerae.

epicene.
Of uncertain sex.

epicurean.
Person devoted to the pursuit of pleasure; when capitalized it refers to the philosophy of Epicurus.

epidemic.
Strictly speaking, only people can suffer an epidemic (the word means “in or among people”). An outbreak of disease among animals is
epizoötic
. It is also worth noting that
epidemic
refers only to outbreaks. When a disease or other problem is of long standing, it is
endemic
.

epiglottis.

epigram, epigraph.
The first is a short, witty saying or poem. The second is an inscription, as on a monument or statue, or an introductory quotation at the beginning of a book or substantial block of text.

Epiphany.
January 6, or the twelfth day of Christmas on the Christian calendar.

“Epipsychidion.”
Poem by Shelley (1821).

epistemology.
The theory of knowledge.

epithet,
strictly speaking, describes a word or phrase that is used in place of a name. Calling Tarzan “King of the Jungle” is to employ an epithet. More commonly nowadays, however,
epithet
is used to describe an abusive or contemptuous utterance. A few authorities disdain this looser usage, but it is accepted now by most dictionaries.
Epithet
should not be confused with
epitaph,
which is an inscription on a gravestone or other written memorial to a dead person.

E pluribus unum.
(Lat.) “Out of many, one” the motto on the official seal of the United States.

equable, equitable.
Most dictionaries define
equable
as meaning steady and unvarying, but it should also convey the sense of being remote from extremes. A consistently hot climate is not equable, no matter how unvarying the temperature. Similarly, someone whose outlook is invariably sunny cannot properly be described as having an equable temperament.
Equitable
, with which
equable
is sometimes confused, means fair and impartial. An equitable settlement is a just one.

equally as
is always wrong; a thing is equally good, not equally as good.

Equatorial Guinea.
Formerly Spanish Guinea; West African country; capital Malabo.

equerry.
Royal attendant.

equivocator.

Equuleus.
Constellation near Pegasus.

equus.
Latin for “horse.”

Erasmus, Desiderius.
(1466–1536) Dutch philosopher.

Eratosthenes.
(c. 276–c. 194
BC
) Greek mathematician, astronomer, and geographer; calculated Earth's circumference.

Erdo
an, Recep Tayyip.
(1954–) Prime minister of Turkey (2003–).

Ericson
(or
Ericsson
or
Eriksson
),
Leif.
(c. tenth c.) Norse explorer. The Swedish electrical group is
Ericsson.

Erie Lackawanna Railway.

Erving, Julius.
(1950–) American basketball player, known as “Dr. J.”

escutcheon.
A shield bearing a coat of arms.

Eskimos
is the plural of
Eskimo,
but the preferred term is
Inuit
(sing. and pl.).

esophagus, esophageal.

especially, specially.
Specially
means for a specific purpose or occasion, as in “a specially designed wedding dress.”
Especially
means particularly or exceptionally, as in “an especially talented singer.” A simple guide is to ask yourself whether you could substitute
particularly
. If so, the word you want is
especially
.

esthetic
is acceptable, but
aesthetic
is generally preferred.

estimated at about,
as in “The crowd was estimated at about 50,000,” is wrong. Because
estimated
contains the idea of an approximation,
about
is superfluous. Delete it.

Eszterhas, Joe.
(1944–) Hungarian-born American screenwriter.

ETA.
Euzkadi ta Azkatasuna (Basque Nation and Liberty), Basque separatist organization. (ETA can also mean “estimated time of arrival.”)

et al.
An abbreviation of the Latin
et alia, et alibi,
and
et alii,
meaning, respectively, “of other things,” “of other places,” and “of other persons” note period (full stop) after
al
only.

et cetera
when spelled out, but
etc.
(closed up) when abbreviated.

Ethernet.
(Cap.)

etiology, etiolate.

Etobicoke.
Toronto suburb.

Étoile, L'.
Area around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

“Et tu, Brute?”
(Lat.) “You too, Brutus?” Julius Caesar's dying words in Shakespeare's play
Julius Caesar
(3.1.77).

etymology.
The study of the origin and development of words.

eucalyptus,
pl.
eucalyptuses.

Euclidean.

eukaryotes.

Eumenides.
In Greek mythology, another name for the Furies.

euonymus.
Any tree or shrub of the genus
Euonymous
.

euphemism.
A mild expression substituted for another more objectionable or indelicate one.

euphuism
and
euphuistic
describe a pretentiously elevated style of writing, after John Lyly's
Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit
(1578).

Euratom.
European Atomic Energy Community.

Euripides.
(c. 484–406
BC
) Greek dramatist.

euro
(lowercase) for the unit of currency used by most, but not all, of the nations of the European Union since early 2002.

European Court of Human Rights,
based in Strasbourg, deals with issues of civil liberties arising out of the European Convention on Human Rights; it has no connection with the European Union or the UN.

European Court of Justice,
in Luxembourg, is a European Union institution dealing exclusively with disputes involving member states.

European Organization for Nuclear Research
is more commonly called CERN (from Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire).

European Union
was formed in 1967 with a formal merger between the European Economic Community, the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Community. As of 2007, it had twenty-seven members: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

Eurydice.
In Greek mythology, wife of Orpheus.

Eustachian tube.
(Cap. E.) Passage connecting middle ear to nasopharynx.

euthanasia.

evangelical, evangelistic.
Generally,
evangelical
is better reserved for contexts pertaining to adherence to the Christian gospel. If you need a word to describe militant zeal or the like,
evangelistic
is almost always better (e.g., “the evangelistic fervor of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament”).

eventuate.
“Competition for economic interest, power and social esteem can eventuate in community formation only if…” (
British Journal of Sociology
, cited by Hudson). A pompous synonym for
result
.

everyday
(adj.),
every day
(adverb). “He was wearing everyday clothes” but “We come here every day.”

exaggerate.

exasperate.

Excalibur.
Not
-er.
King Arthur's sword.

ex cathedra.
(Lat.) With authority.

excavator.

exception proves the rule, the.
A widely misunderstood expression. As a moment's thought should confirm, it isn't possible for an exception to confirm a rule—but then, that isn't the sense that was originally intended.
Prove
here is a “fossil”—that is, a word or phrase that is now meaningless except within the confines of certain sayings (
hem and haw, rank and file
, and
to and fro
are other fossil expressions). Originally
prove
meant test (it comes from the Latin
probo
, “I test”), so “the exception proves the rule” meant—and really still ought to mean—that the exception tests the rule. The original meaning of
prove
is preserved more clearly in two other expressions:
proving ground
and
the proof of the pudding is in the eating
.

exchangeable.

excisable.

excitable.

exhalation.

exhaustible.

exhilarate.

exhort, exhortation.

exigent, exiguous.
The first means urgent and pressing or exacting and demanding; the second means scanty and slender. But both have a number of synonyms that may spare the reader a trip to the dictionary.

ex officio
(Lat.) By virtue of one's office or position.

exorbitant.

exorcise.

expatriate.
One who lives abroad. Not to be confused in spelling or meaning with
compatriot
.

expectorate, spit.
The distinction between these two is not, it must be conceded, often a matter of great moment, but still it is worth noting that there is a distinction. To
spit
means to expel saliva; to
expectorate
is to dredge up and expel phlegm from the lungs.
Expectorate
therefore is not just an unnecessary euphemism for
spit
, but it is usually an incorrect one.

Expedition of Humphry Clinker, The.
Not
Humphrey
. Novel by Tobias Smollett (1771).

ex post facto.
(Lat.) “After the fact.”

expressible.
Not
-able.

extempore, impromptu.
Although both words describe unrehearsed remarks or performances, their meanings are slightly different in that
impromptu
can apply only to acts that are improvised at the time of performance, whereas
extempore
suggests only that the actions were undertaken without the benefit of notes or other formal props.
Impromptu
, in other words, conveys a greater element of surprise on the part of the speaker or performer.