Esophageal E`so·phag"e·al adjective (Anat.) Pertaining to the esophagus. [ Written also œsophageal .]

Esophagean E`so·phag"e·an adjective (Anat.) Esophageal.

Esophagotomy E·soph`a·got"o·my noun [ Greek o'isofa`gos the esophagus + te`mnein to cut.] (Surg.) The operation of making an incision into the esophagus, for the purpose of removing any foreign substance that obstructs the passage. [ Written also œsophagotomy .]

Esophagus E·soph"a·gus noun [ New Latin , from Greek o'isofa`gos ; root of o'i`sw which is used as future of fe`rein to bear, carry (cf. Sanskrit vī to go, drive) + fagei^n to eat.] (Anat.) That part of the alimentary canal between the pharynx and the stomach; the gullet. See Illust. of Digestive apparatus , under Digestive . [ Written also œsophagus .]

Esopian, Esopic E·so"pi·an, E·so"pic adjective Same as Æsopian , Æsopic .

Esoteric Es`o·ter"ic (ĕs`o*tĕ"ĭk) adjective [ Greek 'eswteriko`s , from 'esw`teros inner, interior, comp. from 'e`sw in, within, from 'es , e'is , into, from 'en in. See In .] Designed for, and understood by, the specially initiated alone; not communicated, or not intelligible, to the general body of followers; private; interior; acroamatic; -- said of the private and more recondite instructions and doctrines of philosophers. Opposed to exoteric .

Enough if every age produce two or three critics of this esoteric class, with here and there a reader to understand them.

De Quincey.

Esoteric Es`o·ter"ic adjective Marked by secrecy or privacy; private; select; confidential; as, an esoteric purpose; an esoteric meeting.

Esoteric Es`o·ter"ic noun (Philos.) (a) An esoteric doctrine or treatise; esoteric philosophy; esoterics. (b) One who believes, or is an initiate, in esoteric doctrines or rites.

Esoterical Es`o·ter"ic·al adjective Esoteric.

Esoterically Es`o·ter"ic·al·ly adverb In an esoteric manner.

Esotericism Es`o·ter"i·cism noun Esoteric doctrine or principles.

Esoterics Es`o·ter"ics noun Mysterious or hidden doctrines; secret science.

Esotery Es"o·ter·y noun Mystery; esoterics; -- opposed to exotery . A. Tucker.

Esox E"sox noun [ Latin , a kind of pike.] (Zoology) A genus of fresh-water fishes, including pike and pickerel.

Espace Es·pace" noun Space. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Espadon Es"pa·don noun [ French espadon , from Spanish espadon , from espada sword; or from Italian spadone an espadon, spada sword.] A long, heavy, two-handed and two-edged sword, formerly used by Spanish foot soldiers and by executioners. Wilhelm.

Espalier Es·pal"ier noun [ French espalier , from Italian spalliera , from spalla shoulder, the same word as French épaule . See Epaulet .] (Hort.) A railing or trellis upon which fruit trees or shrubs are trained, as upon a wall; a tree or row of trees so trained.

And figs from standard and espalier join.

Pope.

Espalier Es·pal"ier transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Espaliered ; present participle & verbal noun Espaliering .] To form an espalier of, or to protect by an espalier.

Esparcet Es·par"cet noun [ French esparcet , esparcette , éparcet , from Spanish esparceta , esparcilla .] (Botany) The common sainfoin ( Onobrychis sativa ), an Old World leguminous forage plant.

Esparto Es·par"to noun [ Spanish ; confer Latin spartum Spanish broom, Greek ....] (Botany) A species of Spanish grass ( Macrochloa tenacissima ), of which cordage, shoes, baskets, etc., are made. It is also used for making paper.

Espauliere Es`pau`liere" noun [ Old French & French épaulière . See Espalier .] A defense for the shoulder, composed of flexible overlapping plates of metal, used in the 15th century; -- the origin of the modern epaulette . Fairholt.

Especial Es·pe"cial adjective [ Old French especial , French spécial , Latin specialis , from species a particular sort, kind, or quality. See Species , and confer Special .] Distinguished among others of the same class or kind; special; concerning a species or a single object; principal; particular; as, in an especial manner or degree.

Syn. -- Peculiar; special; particular; uncommon; chief. See Peculiar .

Especially Es·pe"cial·ly adverb In an especial manner; chiefly; particularly; peculiarly; in an uncommon degree.

Especialness Es·pe"cial·ness noun The state of being especial.

Esperance Es"pe·rance noun [ French espérance , from Latin sperans , present participle of sperare to hope.] Hope. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Esperanto Es`pe·ran"to noun An artificial language, intended to be universal, devised by Dr. Zamenhof, a Russian, who adopted the pseudonym "Dr. Esperanto" in publishing his first pamphlet regarding it in 1887. The vocabulary is very largely based upon words common to the chief European languages, and sounds peculiar to any one language are eliminated. The spelling is phonetic, and the accent (stress) is always on the penult. -- Es`pe*ran"tist noun

Espiaille Es`pi·aille" noun Espial. [ Obsolete]

Espial Es·pi"al noun [ Middle English & Norm. French espiaille . See Espy .] 1. The act of espying; notice; discovery.

Screened from espial by the jutting cape.

Byron.

2. One who espies; a spy; a scout. [ Obsolete] "Their espials . . . brought word." Holland.

Espier Es·pi"er noun One who espies. Harmar.

Espinel Es"pi·nel noun A kind of ruby. See Spinel .

Espionage Es"pi·o·nage noun [ French espionnage , from espionner to spy, from espion spy, Old French espie . See Espy .] The practice or employment of spies; the practice of watching the words and conduct of others, to make discoveries, as spies or secret emissaries; secret watching.

Esplanade Es`pla·nade" noun [ French esplanade , Spanish esplanada , explanada , confer Italian spianata ; from Spanish explanar to level, Latin explanare to flatten or spread out. See Explain .] 1. (Fort.) (a) A clear space between a citadel and the nearest houses of the town. Campbell (Mil. Dict. ). (b) The glacis of the counterscarp, or the slope of the parapet of the covered way toward the country.

2. (Hort.) A grass plat; a lawn. Simmonds.

3. Any clear, level space used for public walks or drives; esp., a terrace by the seaside.

Esplees Es·plees" noun plural [ Late Latin expletia , Old French espleit . Confer Exploit .] (Old Eng. Law) The full profits or products which ground or land yields, as the hay of the meadows, the feed of the pasture, the grain of arable fields, the rents, services, and the like. Cowell.

Espousage Es·pous"age noun Espousal. [ Obsolete] Latimer.

Espousal Es·pous"al noun [ Old French espousailles , plural, French épousailles , Latin sponsalia , from sponsalis belonging to betrothal or espousal. See Espouse , and confer Sponsal , Spousal .] 1. The act of espousing or betrothing; especially, in the plural, betrothal; plighting of the troths; a contract of marriage; sometimes, the marriage ceremony.

2. The uniting or allying one's self with anything; maintenance; adoption; as, the espousal of a quarrel.

The open espousal of his cause.

Lord Orford.

Espouse Es·pouse" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Espoused ; present participle & verbal noun Espousing .] [ Old French espouser , esposer , French épouser , Latin sponsare to betroth, espouse, from sponsus betrothed, past participle of spondere to promise solemnly or sacredly. Confer Spouse .] 1. To betroth; to promise in marriage; to give as spouse.

A virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph.

Luke i. 27.

2. To take as spouse; to take to wife; to marry.

Lavinia will I make my empress, . . .
And in the sacred Pantheon her espouse .

Shak.

3. To take to one's self with a view to maintain; to make one's own; to take up the cause of; to adopt; to embrace. "He espoused that quarrel." Bacon.

Promised faithfully to espouse his cause as soon as he got out of the war.

Bp. Burnet.

Espousement Es·pouse"ment noun [ Confer Old French espousement .] The act of espousing, or the state of being espoused.

Espouser Es·pous"er noun One who espouses; one who embraces the cause of another or makes it his own.

Espressivo Es`pres·si"vo adjective [ Italian ] (Mus.) With expression.

Espringal Es·prin"gal noun [ See Springal .] (Mil. Antiq.) An engine of war used for throwing viretons, large stones, and other missiles; a springal.

Esprit Es`prit" noun [ French See Spirit .] Spirit.

Esprit de corps a French phrase much used by English writers to denote the common spirit pervading the members of a body or association of persons. It implies sympathy, enthusiasm, devotion, and jealous regard for the honor of the body as a whole.

Espy Es·py" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Espied ; present participle & verbal noun Espying .] [ Old French espier , French épier , from Old High German speh...n to watch, spy, German spähen ; akin to Latin specere to look, species sight, shape, appearance, kind. See Spice , Spy , and confer Espionage .] 1. To catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; to discover, as a distant object partly concealed, or not obvious to notice; to see at a glance; to discern unexpectedly; to spy; as, to espy land; to espy a man in a crowd.

As one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, . . . he espied his money.

Gen. xlii. 27.

A goodly vessel did I then espy
Come like a giant from a haven broad.

Wordsworth.

2. To inspect narrowly; to examine and keep watch upon; to watch; to observe.

He sends angels to espy us in all our ways.

Jer. Taylor.

Syn. -- To discern; discover; detect; descry; spy.

Espy Es·py" intransitive verb To look or search narrowly; to look about; to watch; to take notice; to spy.

Stand by the way, and espy .

Jer. xlviii. 19.

Espy Es·py" noun ; plural Espies . [ Old French espie . See Espy , v., Spy .] A spy; a scout. [ Obsolete] Huloet.

Esquimau Es"qui·mau noun ; plural Esquimaux . [ French] Same as Eskimo .

It is . . . an error to suppose that where an Esquimau can live, a civilized man can live also.

McClintock.

Esquire Es·quire" noun [ Old French escuyer , escuier , properly, a shield-bearer, French écuyer shield-bearer, armor-bearer, squire of a knight, esquire, equerry, rider, horseman, Late Latin scutarius shield-bearer, from Latin scutum shield, akin to Greek ... skin, hide, from a root meaning to cover ; probably akin to English hide to cover. See Hide to cover, and confer Equerry , Escutcheon .] Originally, a shield-bearer or armor-bearer, an attendant on a knight; in modern times, a title of dignity next in degree below knight and above gentleman ; also, a title of office and courtesy; -- often shortened to squire .

» In England, the title of esquire belongs by right of birth to the eldest sons of knights and their eldest sons in perpetual succession; to the eldest sons of younger sons of peers and their eldest sons in perpetual succession. It is also given to sheriffs, to justices of the peace while in commission, to those who bear special office in the royal household, to counselors at law, bachelors of divinity, law, or physic, and to others. In the United States the title is commonly given in courtesy to lawyers and justices of the peace, and is often used in the superscription of letters instead of Mr .

Esquire Es·quire" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Esquired ; present participle & verbal noun Esquiring .] To wait on as an esquire or attendant in public; to attend. [ Colloq.]

Esquisse Es`quisse" noun [ French See Sketch .] (Fine Arts) The first sketch of a picture or model of a statue.

Essay Es"say noun ; plural Essays . [ French essai , from Latin exagium a weighing, weight, balance; ex out + agere to drive, do; confer examen , exagmen , a means of weighing, a weighing, the tongue of a balance, exigere to drive out, examine, weigh, Greek 'exa`gion a weight, 'exagia`zein to examine, 'exa`gein to drive out, export. See Agent , and confer Exact , Examine , Assay .] 1. An effort made, or exertion of body or mind, for the performance of anything; a trial; attempt; as, to make an essay to benefit a friend. "The essay at organization." M. Arnold.

2. (Lit.) A composition treating of any particular subject; -- usually shorter and less methodical than a formal, finished treatise; as, an essay on the life and writings of Homer; an essay on fossils, or on commerce.

3. An assay. See Assay , noun [ Obsolete]

Syn. -- Attempt; trial; endeavor; effort; tract; treatise; dissertation; disquisition.

Essay Es·say" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Essayed ; present participle & verbal noun Essaying .] [ French essayer . See Essay , noun ] 1. To exert one's power or faculties upon; to make an effort to perform; to attempt; to endeavor; to make experiment or trial of; to try.

What marvel if I thus essay to sing?

Byron.

Essaying nothing she can not perform.

Emerson.

A danger lest the young enthusiast . . . should essay the impossible.

J. C. Shairp.

2. To test the value and purity of (metals); to assay. See Assay . [ Obsolete] Locke.

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