The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (15 page)

embrocation
(
EM
-broh-KAY-sh
e
n)
noun

a liquid used for rubbing on the body to relieve muscular pain, etc.

Related word:
embrocate
(EM-broh-
KAYT
)
verb

emetic
(
e
-MET-ik)
noun

a medicine or other agent used to induce vomiting.

Related words:
emetic
adjective
,
emetically
adverb
.

éminence grise
(ay-mee-nah
n
s GREEZ)

French: in English translated as “gray eminence,” a close adviser, especially one who exercises power behind the scenes.

emollient
(i-MOL-y
e
nt)
adjective

softening or soothing the skin.

Related words:
emollience
and
emollient
both nouns
.

emolument
(i-MOL-y
e
-m
e
nt)
noun

a fee received; a salary.

empathy
(EM-p
e
-thee)
noun

the ability to identify oneself mentally with a person or thing and so understand his feelings or its meaning.

Do not confuse
empathy
with the well-known word
sympathy
, with several meanings, especially
a feeling of pity or tenderness toward one suffering pain, grief, or trouble
.

Related words:
empathetic
(
EM
-p
e
-THET-ik) and
empathic
(em-PATH-ik)
both adjectives
,
empathetically
and
empathically
both adverbs
,
empathize
(EM-p
e
-
TH
I
Z
)
verb
.

encomiast
(en-KOH-mee-
AST
)
noun

1. a person who writes or utters an
encomium
, which see.

2. a eulogist.

Related words:
encomiastic
(en-
KOH
-mee-AS-tik)
adjective
,
encomiastically
adverb
.

encomium
(en-KOH-mee-
e
m)
noun, plural
encomiums
and
encomia
(en-KOH-mee-
e
)

high praise given in speech or writing.

endemic
(en-DEM-ik)
adjective
, also given as
endemical

1. of a disease, commonly found in a particular country or district or group of people.

2. (
noun
) such a disease.

Do not confuse
endemic
with
epidemic
, which see.

Related words:
endemically
adverb
,
endemism
(EN-d
e
-
MIZ
-
e
m) and
endemicity
(
EN
-d
e
-MIS-i-tee)
both nouns
.

energize
(EN-
e
r-
J
I
Z
)
verb

See
enervate
.

enervate
(EN-
e
r-
VAYT
)
verb

cause to lose vitality.

In poor writing and speech, the verb
enervate
often appears mistakenly in place of
energize
, a well understood verb that means
invigorate or give energy to
. Writers and speakers may be misled perhaps by the similarity in spelling, perhaps by the dangerous impulse to choose an uncommon word wherever a common word will do. In this case, such writers substitute an antonym for the correct word, and thus end up saying exactly the opposite of what they want to say. In your own writing, stay away from unfamiliar words unless you first check them in a dictionary. Stressing elegance in word choice can lead you down the garden path.

Related words:
enervation
(
EN
-
e
r-VAY-sh
e
n) and
enervator
(EN-
e
r-
VAY
-t
e
r)
both nouns
,
enervative
(EN-
e
r-
VAY
-tiv)
adjective
.

engender
(en-JEN-d
e
r)
verb

give rise to; beget.

Related words:
engenderer
and
engenderment
both nouns
.

ennui
(ahn-WEE)
noun

a feeling of mental weariness from lack of interest; boredom.

enormity
(i-NOR-mi-tee)
noun, plural
enormities

1. great wickedness.

2. a serious crime or error.

The noun
enormity
is used frequently with the meaning of
enormous size
or
immensity
. Whatever the historical justification for this definition, the use of
enormity
in this sense starts the other meanings of this valuable word down the path to extinction. While it easy to see the confusion of
enormousness
with
enormity
, careful writers and speakers do not fall into this trap. Nor should you. Use
enormity
in discussing heinous crimes,
immensity
in discussing great size.

enormousness
(i-NOR-m
e
s-nis)
noun

See
enormity
.

entreat
(en-TREET)
verb

request earnestly or emotionally; beseech.

Related words:
entreatingly
adverb
,
entreatment
and
entreaty
both nouns
.

enviable
(EN-vee-
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

desirable enough to arouse envy.

Do not confuse
enviable
with the more common adjective
envious
, meaning
full of envy
. Thus, we write “She has an
enviable
reputation,” not an
envious
reputation. Writers who mistakenly use these words interchangeably—a definite no-no—are held in low regard by editors and intelligent readers.

Related words:
enviableness
noun
,
enviably
adverb
.

envious
(EN-vee-
e
s)
adjective

See
enviable
.

environment
(en-V
I
-r
e
n-m
e
nt)
noun

See
ecology
.

ephemeral
(i-FEM-
e
r-
e
l)
adjective

lasting only a very short time; transitory.

Related words:
ephemerally
adverb
,
ephemerality
(i-
FEM
-
e
-RAL-i-tee) and
ephemeralness
(i-FEM-
e
r-
e
l-nis)
both nouns
.

epicene
(EP-i-
SEEN
)
adjective

1. belonging to, or sharing the characteristics of, both sexes; of no definite sex or kind.

2. effeminate; unmasculine.

Related word:
epicenism
(EP-i-
SEEN
-iz-
e
m)
noun
.

epicure
(EP-i-
KYUUR
)
noun

See
gourmet
.

epidemic
(
EP
-i-DEM-ik)
adjective

1. of a disease, spreading rapidly through a community where the disease is not always prevalent, infecting many persons at the same time.

2. (
noun
) such a disease.

Do not confuse
epidemic
with
endemic
. The word
epidemic
is in common use and well known, but
endemic
, as an adjective meaning
commonly found in a particular country or district or group of people
, is less frequently used and is most likely to be used correctly by knowledgable epidemiologists. Try to remember.

Related words:
epidemically
adverb
,
epidemicity
(
EP
-i-d
e
-MIS-i-tee)
noun
.