The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (28 page)

e pluribus unum (a), ploorabas oonam)
LATIN [out of many, one] noun phrase
one out of many (motto of the United
States of America): "The more you

examine the structure of the organs and
the laws of life, the more you will find
how resolutely each of the cell-republics
which make up the E pluribus unum of the
body maintains its independence" (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Medical Essays,
1883).

ergo (ergo) LATIN [therefore] adverb
therefore, hence, consequently: "..he
that loves my / flesh and blood is my
friend: ergo, he that kisses / my wife is my
friend" (William Shakespeare, All's Well
that Ends Well, c. 1602).

Eros (ee2rOS) GREEK [after Eros, the
Greek god of love, from eros sexual
love] noun sexual desire, the personification of erotic enjoyment; also
used to refer to the sexual urge.

erotica (erotika) GREEK [erotika] noun
works of art, literature, and other
media that depict sexual love: "His
collection of erotica was much admired by
his friends."

errare humanum est (erahree hoomahnam est) LATIN [to err is human]
noun phrase it is only human to make
mistakes: "In short, doctor, although I
know you to be the most conscientious
man in the world, and although I place
the utmost reliance in you, I want, notwithstanding my conviction, to believe
this axiom, errare humanum est" (Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte
Cristo, 1844).

erratum (erahtam) LATIN [from erratus,
neuter past participle of errare to err]
noun (plural errata, errata) an error,
a mistake (especially in a printed or
written work; also, a printed list identifying such errors and giving their corrections): "I wrote him an ingenuous letter
of acknowledgment, crav'd his forbearance
a little longer, which he allow'd me, and as
soon as I was able, I paid the principal with
interest, and many thanks; so that erratum
was in some degree corrected" (Benjamin
Franklin, Autobiography, 1793).

ersatz (ersats, erzats) GERMAN [from
Ersatz substitute, replacement] noun
a substitute or inferior imitation.
'adjective substitute, imitation, fake,
inferior: "He grimaced as he swallowed
a mouthful of gray ersatz coffee, then put
the cup down."

escabeche (eskabechee) SPANISH [pickled, from Arabic sakba] noun (in
Mexican cuisine) a spicy marinade
made with vinegar or citrus juice,
onion, jalapeno peppers, and seasonings, used to flavor and preserve fish
or meat.

escargot (eskahgo) FRENCH [snail,
from Provencal escaragol] noun an
edible snail.

escritoire (eskratwah) FRENCH [writing desk, from Latin scriptorium]
noun a writing table, writing desk,
or bureau: "The note arriving at matu

rity, the diddler, with the diddler's dog,
calls upon the friend, and the promise to
pay is made the topic of discussion. The
friend produces it from his escritoire, and
is in the act of reaching it to the diddler,
when up jumps the diddler's dog and
devours it forthwith" (Edgar Allan Poe,
"The Devil in the Belfry," 1839).

esophagus (isofagas), oesophagus
GREEK [from oisophagos, from oisein
to be going to carry and phagein to
eat] noun (plural esophagi Isofagl,
isofajz) the canal leading from the
mouth to the stomach; the gullet.

esoterica (eesoterika) GREEK [from
esoterika inner things] noun mysterious or arcane items reserved for
inspection by a select few; often referring specifically to pornographic writings: "The rest of the shelves were filled
with volumes of esoterica, ranging from
diaries to bestselling blockbusters."

espadrille (espadril, espadril) FRENCH
[from Provencal espardilhos, ultimately
from Greek sparton rope] noun a
type of sandal with a canvas upper
and a flexible rope sole: "The sailors
wore espadrilles and barely made a sound
as they ran about the decks."

esplanade (esplanayd, esplanaid)
FRENCH [level space, from Italian spianare to level] noun a stretch of level
ground suitable for walkers, usually
running alongside a shore, river, or road: "Rearward of the structure which
graced the entrance-way a purely Grecian pile he stood upon a broad esplanade paved with polished stone..." (Lew
Wallace, Ben Hur, 1880).

espressivo (espreseevo,
esresivo) ITALIAN [expressive, from Latin exprimere to express] adverb in music, an
instruction for a passage to be played
with expression. adjective in music,
expressive.

espresso (eseso) r ITALIAN [from caffe
espresso pressed out coffee, squeezed
coffee] noun strong coffee brewed
by forcing steam or boiling water
through ground coffee beans: "The
woman chose a seat near the door and
ordered an espresso from one of the waiters." 'adjective of or relating to such
coffee, or a place where such coffee
is served.

esprit (esree) FRENCH [spirit, from
Latin spiritus spirit] noun liveliness
of wit or vivacity, sprightliness, zest:
"The interviewers are usually impervious to
such demonstrations of charm and esprit."

esprit de corps (espree de kor) FRENCH
[spirit of body] noun phrase team
spirit, public spirit, the enthusiasm,
devotion, or sense of honor shared
by the members of a particular
group or organization: "It's not that
I don't approve of the Mingotts' esprit
de corps; but why Newland's engagement
should be mixed up with that Olenska

woman's comings and goings I don't see,"
Mrs. Archer grumbled to Janey, the only
witness of her slight lapses from perfect
sweetness" (Edith Wharton, The Age of
Innocence, 1920).

esprit de I'escalier (espree da leskal),ay), esprit d'escalier FRENCH [wit
of the stair, attributed to the French
philosopher Denis Diderot (1713-84)]
noun phrase a clever or witty rejoinder
that a person thinks of only after the
opportunity for it has passed.

-esque (esk) FRENCH [in the style of]
suffix in the style of or similar to,
e.g., Ka,flcaesque, Reubenesque.

esse (esee) LATIN [being, from esse
to be] noun in philosophy, the essential being or essence of someone or
something.

estaminet (estaminay) FRENCH [from
Walloon stamine byre] noun a small
cafe, bistro, or bar: "`There's not much
to do here, by way of amusement,' said the
Major. A movie show tonight, and you
can get anything you want at the estaminet, the one on the square, opposite the
English tank, is the best"' (Willa Cather,
One of Ours, 1922).

estrus (estrus), oestrus (eestras)
GREEK [oistros gadfly, frenzy] noun a
period during the monthly cycle in
female mammals marking the point
when they will most readily accept
mates and are most likely to conceive; heat; the rut: "The dog should come into
estrus within a few days."

et al. See ET ALIBI; ET ALII.

et alibi (et alabi) LATIN [and elsewhere] adverb phrase and elsewhere
(used in bibliographical references).
'abbreviated form et al.

et alii (et aleel), et alia (et aleea)
LATIN [and others] adverb phrase and
others. 'abbreviated form et al.

et cetera (et set2r3, et setr3) LATIN
[and others] adverb phrase and the
rest, and so on, and so forth: "To him,
Patroclus; tell him I humbly desire the /
valiant Ajax to invite the most valorous
Hector / to come unarmed to my tent, and
to procure / safe-conduct for his person of
the magnanimous / and most illustrious
six-or-seven-times-honored / captain-general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon, /
et cetera" (William Shakespeare, Troilus
and Cressida, c. 1601). -noun phrase
(plural etceteras) odds and ends, sundries, extras. 'abbreviated form etc.

ethos (eethos) GREEK [custom, character] noun the character, nature,
values, or beliefs of an individual,
group, region, or age: "Virtue, then,
being of two kinds, intellectual and moral,
intellectual virtue in the main owes both
its birth and its growth to teaching (for
which reason it requires experience and
time), while moral virtue comes about as
a result of habit, whence also its name (ethike) is one that is formed by a slight
variation from the word ethos (habit)"
(Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, fourth
century B.C.).

etiquette (etiket, etiket) FRENCH [from
etiquette ticket, label] noun the rules
of personal conduct that individuals are
expected to observe in polite society
or in ceremonial circumstances: "...the
few gun-room officers there at the time
had, in due observance of naval etiquette,
withdrawn to leeward the moment Captain
Vere had begun his promenade on the deck's
weather-side..." (Herman Melville, Billy
Budd, 1924).

et sequens (et sekwenz) LATIN [abbreviation of et sequentes and the following
one] noun phrase and the following
(in bibliographical references, etc.).
'abbreviated form et seq. (plural et
seqq. or et sqq.).

-ette (et) FRENCH [small] suffix denoting smallness, e.g., kitchenette, or feminine gender, e.g., majorette.

et tu, Brute? (et too brootay) LATIN
[and you, Brutus?, from the accusation reputedly leveled by the dying
Julius Caesar against his friend Brutus after the latter revealed himself
as one of the conspirators involved
in Caesar's assassination] interjection
you also, Brutus? (an accusation of
betrayal leveled against a friend suspected of betraying the speaker, usuall), spoken in jest).

etude (ay!ood), etude FRENCH
[study] noun a musical composition
written or played as a technical exercise or for the sake of displaying virtuosity: He consented to play two brief
Chopin etudes for the assembled company,
but refused point-blank to play anything
from his new opera."

euphoria (),ooforeea) GREEK [euphoroshealthy] noun a state of well-being
or a feeling of elation, exhilaration,
joy, optimism: "Euphoria swept over him
when he heard the news of his success."

eureka (),ooreeka) GREEK [from
Greek heureka I have found it, as supposedly uttered by Archimedes (287-
212 B.C.) while in his bath when he
worked out the principle of specific
discovery] interjection an expression
of triumph usually uttered on making a discovery of some kind: "When
he remembered suddenly his steward's
wife he must have exclaimed eureka with
particular exultation" (Joseph Conrad,
Chance, 1914).

euthanasia (),oothanazeed) GREEK [a
good death, from eu good and thanatos
death] noun the practice of procuring the painless death of someone
facing terminal illness; mercy killing:
"The review board asked the doctor to
explain his views on euthanasia."

evenement (evenhmon(g)) FRENCH
[event, happening, as applied to the
student riots and strikes that took

place in Paris and elsewhere in 1968]
noun an outbreak of public disorder,
civil unrest: "The evenements of 1968
exerted a profound and lasting influence
upon the French psyche."

ex' (eks) LATIN [former], noun (plural
exes, eksiz) a person who formerly
held a particular post or position; a
former spouse, partner, lover: "She has
few good things to say about her ex."

ex2 (eks) LATIN [out of, from] preposition out of, from, free from, without, excluding.

ex aequo (eks ikwo ) LATIN [from the
equal] adverb phrase equally or on an
equal footing.

ex animo (eks ammo) LATIN [from
the heart] adverb phrase in earnest,
sincerely, heartily.

ex ante (eks antee) LATIN [from before]
adjective phrase predicted, based on
prior expectations. 'adverb phrase in
advance, beforehand.

ex cathedra (eks katheedra) LATIN
[from the chair] adverb phrase with
official authority, authoritatively: An
aged shepherd whom they had used as a
guide, or who had approached them from
curiosity, listened with mouth agape to the
dissertations on foss and vellum, ports dextra, sinistra, and decumana, which Sir John
Clerk delivered ex cathedra, and his learned
visitor listened with the deference to the dignity of a connoisseur on his own ground"
(Walter Scott, The Antiquary, 1816).
-adjective phrase official, authoritative.

excelsior (ekselseeor, ekselseeor) LATIN
[higher, from excelsus high] interjection
upward! higher! (motto of New York
State).

excerpta (ekseerta, ekzeeita) LATIN
[extracts, things selected] plural
noun extracts, clippings, selections
(of a book, piece of music, etc.): "The
committee was presented with a file of
excerpta from the national press."

excreta (ekskreeta) LATIN [things
separated, neuter plural of excretus
separated, from excernere to excrete]
plural noun waste matter, excretions
(especiall), body waste, feces, urine,
excrement).

ex curia (eks kooreed) LATIN [out of
court] adverb phrase away from court.
-adjective phrase away from court.

excursus (ekskersas) LATIN [excursion, from excurrere to run out]
noun (plural excursus or excurses,
ekskerseez) in written documents, an
appendix or digression in which a topic
is explored in further detail: "Nafferton
filed that, and asked what sort of people
looked after Pig. This started an ethnological excursus on swineherds, and drew from
Pinecoffin long tables showing the proportion per thousand of the caste in the Derajat"
(Rud),ard Kipling, "Pig," 1887).

ex delicto (eks dalikto) LATIN [from a
crime] adverb phrase as a consequence
of an offense or fault. 'adjective phrase
of or relating to the consequence of
an offense or fault.

exeat (ekseeat) LATIN [let him or her
go out, third person singular present subjunctive of exire to go out]
noun in the theater, a stage direction
indicating that a particular character
should leave the stage.

exegesis (eksajsis) GREEK [explanation, interpretation, from exegeisthai
to explain, to interpret] noun (plural
exegeses, eksajeeseez) an explanation or critical examination of a text
(especiall), scriptural texts): "He was a
preacher renowned for his careful exegesis
of the New Testament letters."

exemplar (ekzemplahr, ekzempler)
LATIN [from exemplum example, model]
noun an ideal example or standard
specimen: Boldwood's deep attachment
was a matter of great interest among
all around him; but, after having been
pointed out for so many years as the
perfect exemplar of thriving bachelorship,
his lapse was an anticlimax somewhat
resembling that of St. John Long's death
by consumption in the midst of his proofs
that it was not a fatal disease" (Thomas
Hard),, Far from the Madding Crowd,
1874).