Earl Earl noun [ Middle English eorl , erl , Anglo-Saxon eorl man, noble; akin to Old Saxon erl boy, man, Icelandic jarl nobleman, count, and possibly to Greek ... male, Zend arshan man. Confer Jarl .] A nobleman of England ranking below a marquis, and above a viscount. The rank of an earl corresponds to that of a count ( comte ) in France, and graf in Germany. Hence the wife of an earl is still called countess. See Count .

Earl Earl noun (Zoology) The needlefish. [ Ireland]

Earl marshal Earl" mar"shal An officer of state in England who marshals and orders all great ceremonials, takes cognizance of matters relating to honor, arms, and pedigree, and directs the proclamation of peace and war. The court of chivalry was formerly under his jurisdiction, and he is still the head of the herald's office or college of arms.

Earlap Ear"lap` noun The lobe of the ear.

Earldom Earl"dom noun [ Anglo-Saxon eorl- d...m ; eorl man, noble + -d...m -dom.] 1. The jurisdiction of an earl; the territorial possessions of an earl.

2. The status, title, or dignity of an earl.

He [ Pulteney] shrunk into insignificancy and an earldom .

Chesterfield.

Earldorman Earl"dor·man noun Alderman. [ Obsolete]

Earlduck Earl"duck` noun (Zoology) The red-breasted merganser ( Merganser serrator ).

Earles penny Earles" pen`ny [ Confer Arles , 4th Earnest .] Earnest money. Same as Arles penny . [ Obsolete]

Earless Ear"less adjective Without ears; hence, deaf or unwilling to hear. Pope.

Earlet Ear"let noun [ Ear + - let .] An earring. [ Obsolete]

The Ismaelites were accustomed to wear golden earlets .

Judg. viii. 24 (Douay version).

Earliness Ear"li·ness noun The state of being early or forward; promptness.

Earlock Ear"lock` noun [ Anglo-Saxon eár- locca .] A lock or curl of hair near the ear; a lovelock. See Lovelock .

Early Ear"ly (ẽr"lȳ) adverb [ Middle English erli , erliche , Anglo-Saxon ǣrlīce ; ǣr sooner + līc like. See Ere , and Like .] Soon; in good season; seasonably; betimes; as, come early .

Those that me early shall find me.

Prov. viii. 17.

You must wake and call me early .

Tennyson.

Early Ear"ly adjective [ Compar. Earlier (ẽr"lĭ*ẽr); superl. Earliest .] [ Middle English earlich . √204. See Early , adverb ] 1. In advance of the usual or appointed time; in good season; prior in time; among or near the first; -- opposed to late ; as, the early bird; an early spring; early fruit.

Early and provident fear is the mother of safety.

Burke.

The doorsteps and threshold with the early grass springing up about them.

Hawthorne.

2. Coming in the first part of a period of time, or among the first of successive acts, events, etc.

Seen in life's early morning sky.

Keble.

The forms of its earlier manhood.

Longfellow.

The earliest poem he composed was in his seventeenth summer.

J. C. Shairp.

Early English (Philol.) See the Note under English . -- Early English architecture , the first of the pointed or Gothic styles used in England, succeeding the Norman style in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Syn. -- Forward; timely; not late; seasonable.

Earmark Ear"mark` noun 1. A mark on the ear of sheep, oxen, dogs, etc., as by cropping or slitting.

2. A mark for identification; a distinguishing mark.

Money is said to have no earmark .

Wharton.

Flying, he [ a slave] should be described by the rounding of his head, and his earmark .

Robynson (More's Utopia).

A set of intellectual ideas . . . have earmarks upon them, no tokens of a particular proprietor.

Burrow.

Earmark Ear"mark` transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Earmarked ; present participle & verbal noun Earmarking .] To mark, as sheep, by cropping or slitting the ear.

Earn Earn noun (Zoology) See Ern , noun Sir W. Scott.

Earn Earn transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Earned ; present participle & verbal noun Earning .] [ Anglo-Saxon earnian ; akin to Old High German arn...n to reap, aran harvest, German ernte , Goth. asans harvest, asneis hireling, Anglo-Saxon esne ; confer Icelandic önn working season, work.] 1. To merit or deserve, as by labor or service; to do that which entitles one to (a reward, whether the reward is received or not).

The high repute
Which he through hazard huge must earn .

Milton.

2. To acquire by labor, service, or performance; to deserve and receive as compensation or wages; as, to earn a good living; to earn honors or laurels.

I earn that [ what] I eat.

Shak.

The bread I have earned by the hazard of my life or the sweat of my brow.

Burke.

Earned run (Baseball) , a run which is made without the assistance of errors on the opposing side.

Syn. -- See Obtain .

Earn Earn transitive verb & i. [ See 1st Yearn .] To grieve. [ Obsolete]

Earn Earn intransitive verb [ See 4th Yearn .] To long; to yearn. [ Obsolete]

And ever as he rode, his heart did earn
To prove his puissance in battle brave.

Spenser.

Earn Earn intransitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon irnan to run. √11. See Rennet , and confer Yearnings .] To curdle, as milk. [ Prov. Eng.]

Earnest Ear"nest noun [ Anglo-Saxon eornost , eornest ; akin to Old High German ernust , German ernst ; confer Icelandic orrosta battle, perhaps akin to Greek ... to excite, Latin oriri to rise.] Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.

Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest .

Sir P. Sidney.

And given in earnest what I begged in jest.

Shak.

In earnest , serious; seriously; not in jest; earnestly.

Earnest Ear"nest adjective 1. Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers.

An earnest advocate to plead for him.

Shak.

2. Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention.

3. Serious; important. [ Obsolete]

They whom earnest lets do often hinder.

Hooker.

Syn. -- Eager; warm; zealous; ardent; animated; importunate; fervent; sincere; serious; hearty; urgent. See Eager .

Earnest Ear"nest transitive verb To use in earnest. [ R.]

To earnest them [ our arms] with men.

Pastor Fido (1602).

Earnest Ear"nest noun [ Prob. corrupted from French arrhes , Latin arra , arrha , arrhabo , Greek 'arrabw`n , of Semitic origin, confer Hebrew ērāvōn ; or perhaps from W. ernes , akin to Gael. earlas , perhaps from Latin arra . Confer Arles , Earles penny .] 1. Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come.

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

2 Cor. i. 22.

And from his coffers
Received the golden earnest of our death.

Shak.

2. (Law) Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale. Kent. Ayliffe. Benjamin.

Earnest money (Law) , money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale.

Syn. -- Earnest , Pledge . These words are here compared as used in their figurative sense. Earnest is not so strong as pledge . An earnest , like first fruits, gives assurance, or at least a high probability, that more is coming of the same kind; a pledge , like money deposited, affords security and ground of reliance for the future. Washington gave earnest of his talent as commander by saving his troops after Braddock's defeat; his fortitude and that of his soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge might rightly be considered a pledge of their ultimate triumph.

Earnestful Ear"nest·ful adjective Serious. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Earnestly Ear"nest·ly adverb In an earnest manner.

Earnestness Ear"nest·ness noun The state or quality of being earnest; intentness; anxiety.

An honest earnestness in the young man's manner.

W. Irving.

Earnful Earn"ful adjective [ From Earn to yearn.] Full of anxiety or yearning. [ Obsolete] P. Fletcher.

Earning Earn"ing noun ; plural Earnings That which is earned; wages gained by work or services; money earned; -- used commonly in the plural.

As to the common people, their stock is in their persons and in their earnings .

Burke.

Earpick Ear"pick` noun An instrument for removing wax from the ear.

Earreach Ear"reach` noun Earshot. Marston.

Earring Ear"ring` noun An ornament consisting of a ring passed through the lobe of the ear, with or without a pendant.

Earsh Earsh noun See Arrish .

Earshot Ear"shot` noun Reach of the ear; distance at which words may be heard. Dryden.

Earshrift Ear"shrift` noun A nickname for auricular confession; shrift. [ Obsolete] Cartwright.

Earsore Ear"sore` noun An annoyance to the ear. [ R.]

The perpetual jangling of the chimes . . . is no small earsore ...s.

Sir T. Browne.

Earst Earst adverb See Erst . [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Earth Earth noun [ Anglo-Saxon eor...e ; akin to Old Saxon ertha , OFries. irthe , Dutch aarde , Old High German erda , German erde , Icelandic jör... , Swedish & Danish jord , Goth. aīrpa , Old High German ero , Greek ..., adverb , to earth, and perhaps to English ear to plow.] 1. The globe or planet which we inhabit; the world, in distinction from the sun, moon, or stars. Also, this world as the dwelling place of mortals, in distinction from the dwelling place of spirits.

That law preserves the earth a sphere
And guides the planets in their course.

S. Rogers.

In heaven, or earth , or under earth , in hell.

Milton.

2. The solid materials which make up the globe, in distinction from the air or water; the dry land.

God called the dry land earth .

Gen. i. 10.

He is pure air and fire, and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him.

Shak.

3. The softer inorganic matter composing part of the surface of the globe, in distinction from the firm rock; soil of all kinds, including gravel, clay, loam, and the like; sometimes, soil favorable to the growth of plants; the visible surface of the globe; the ground; as, loose earth ; rich earth .

Give him a little earth for charity.

Shak.

4. A part of this globe; a region; a country; land.

Would I had never trod this English earth .

Shak.

5. Worldly things, as opposed to spiritual things; the pursuits, interests, and allurements of this life.

Our weary souls by earth beguiled.

Keble.

6. The people on the globe.

The whole earth was of one language.

Gen. xi. 1.

7. (Chemistry) (a) Any earthy-looking metallic oxide, as alumina, glucina, zirconia, yttria, and thoria. (b) A similar oxide, having a slight alkaline reaction, as lime, magnesia, strontia, baryta.

8. A hole in the ground, where an animal hides himself; as, the earth of a fox. Macaulay.

They [ ferrets] course the poor conies out of their earths .

Holland.

» Earth is used either adjectively or in combination to form compound words; as, earth apple or earth -apple; earth metal or earth -metal; earth closet or earth -closet.

Adamic earth , Bitter earth , Bog earth , Chian earth , etc. See under Adamic , Bitter , etc. -- Alkaline earths . See under Alkaline . -- Earth apple . (Botany) (a) A potato. (b) A cucumber. -- Earth auger , a form of auger for boring into the ground; -- called also earth borer . -- Earth bath , a bath taken by immersing the naked body in earth for healing purposes. -- Earth battery (Physics) , a voltaic battery the elements of which are buried in the earth to be acted on by its moisture. -- Earth chestnut , the pignut. -- Earth closet , a privy or commode provided with dry earth or a similar substance for covering and deodorizing the fæcal discharges. -- Earth dog (Zoology) , a dog that will dig in the earth, or enter holes of foxes, etc. -- Earth hog , Earth pig (Zoology) , the aard- vark. -- Earth hunger , an intense desire to own land, or, in the case of nations, to extend their domain. -- Earth light (Astron.) , the light reflected by the earth, as upon the moon, and corresponding to moonlight; -- called also earth shine . Sir J. Herschel. -- Earth metal . See 1st Earth , 7. (Chemistry) -- Earth oil , petroleum. -- Earth pillars or pyramids (Geol.) , high pillars or pyramids of earth, sometimes capped with a single stone, found in Switzerland. Lyell. -- Earth pitch (Min.) , mineral tar, a kind of asphaltum. -- Earth quadrant , a fourth of the earth's circumference. -- Earth table (Architecture) , the lowest course of stones visible in a building; the ground table. -- On earth , an intensive expression, oftenest used in questions and exclamations; as, What on earth shall I do? Nothing on earth will satisfy him. [ Colloq.]

Earth Earth transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Earthed ; present participle & verbal noun Earthing .] 1. To hide, or cause to hide, in the earth; to chase into a burrow or den. "The fox is earthed ." Dryden.

2. To cover with earth or mold; to inter; to bury; -- sometimes with up .

The miser earths his treasure, and the thief,
Watching the mole, half beggars him ere noon.

Young.

Why this in earthing up a carcass?

R. Blair.

Earth Earth intransitive verb To burrow. Tickell.

Earth Earth noun [ From Ear to plow.] A plowing. [ Obsolete]

Such land as ye break up for barley to sow,
Two earths at the least, ere ye sow it, bestow.

Tusser.

Earth Earth noun (Electricity) The connection of any part an electric conductor with the ground; specif., the connection of a telegraph line with the ground through a fault or otherwise.

» When the resistance of the earth connection is low it is termed a good earth .

Earth flax Earth" flax` (Min.) A variety of asbestus. See Amianthus .

Earth shine Earth" shine` See Earth light , under Earth .

Earth-tongue Earth"-tongue` noun (Botany) A fungus of the genus Geoglossum .

Earthbag Earth"bag` noun (Mil.) A bag filled with earth, used commonly to raise or repair a parapet.

Earthbank Earth"bank` noun A bank or mound of earth.

Earthboard Earth"board` noun (Agriculture) The part of a plow, or other implement, that turns over the earth; the moldboard.

Earthborn Earth"born` adjective 1. Born of the earth; terrigenous; springing originally from the earth; human.

Some earthborn giant.

Milton.

2. Relating to, or occasioned by, earthly objects.

All earthborn cares are wrong.

Goldsmith.

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