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WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, D-E
Note: clickable items link to Wordcraft Archives, which may have further notes

dab – one skilled in something, an expert, an adept

dabster – 1. a person skilled at something. 2. more often: a dabbler; or, a clumsy, inept painter

dactylic – see iambic

dactylion – the tip of the middle finger

dactylomancy – divination by rings [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]

daedal; Daedal – eponym: of ingenious design; skillfully or cunningly made; artistic; artful; ingenious

daguerreotype – eponym: an early type of photograph

dagwood; dagwood sandwich (also capitalized) – a multilayered sandwich with a variety of fillings [from comics]

daks; underdaks – Australian slang: pants, underpants

dally – noun: sudden lull or slackening of the wind. verb: of the wind, to turn or shift in direction

damp squib – a failed joke

Dandie Dinmont – eponym: a certain breed of dog

dandiprat – (in sport or contempt) a little fellow

dark horse – a competitor, among many, who makes (or is tabbed as having the potential to make) an unexpectedly good showing

dassie – see hyrax

dative – noun or adj. a noun serving as the indirect object of a verb

dauphinois potatoes – potatoes with cream and cheese

de facto – existing in fact (implicitly meaning, not by planned result or by lawful authority), as, a king de facto; distinguished from a king de jure, or by right

de gustibus – a matter of personal taste

deaconing – the practice of putting the best-looking food on top, as putting the most attractive berries on the top of the basket

dead cat bounce – a temporary recovery from a major drop in a stock's price

dead man's switch – a device that will take a specific action unless a human operator overrides it

deadheadΉ – horticulture: to remove the blooms after flowering, so that the plant will devote its energy to developing of new flowers, rather than to producing seeds

deadhead² – railroads and other carriers: to move a train without paying business, simply to get it to where it needs to be for later work

deadjectival – derived from adjectives (deadjectival nouns; deadjectival verbs)

deadshit – Australian slang: a person of low intelligence

debonair – pleasant and affable in outward manner or address [from medieval French falconry]

dιcalage – aviation design: the difference in angle between any two distinct airfoils on an airplane

decimation – originally: the act of putting to death every tenth man

declamation – 1. vehement oratory 2. a speech marked by strong feeling; a tirade 3. a recitation delivered as an exercise in rhetoric (usually referring to a student’s recitation). [The verb form is to declaim]

decoction – concentrating a flavor by boiling down (or the concentrate made, as a herbal decoction)

dιcolletage – a low neckline on a woman's dress

decubitus – noun: the position of lying down, reclining

decumbent –

deduction – reasoning from stated premises to a conclusion (contrast induction)

defective lexical item – a noun that has no singular form (furniture; happiness) or no singular form (police)

defenestrate – to throw out of a window

dιgagι – free and relaxed in manner; casual

degust – to taste, esp. to do so attentively, so as to savor

degustation – a comparative tasting, in small portions, of a variety of similar foods or drinks; also figurative

dehisce – to burst open on a natural line (as a seedpod, or a surgical wound)

dehort – to urge to abstain or refrain; to dissuade

deictic – 1. logic: proving directly 2. grammar: (of a word) specifying identity, place or time by reference to the speaker or hearer: we; here; there; then; the former

deipnosophist – a person skilled in the art of dinner-table conversation

delphic – eponym: obscurely prophetic; also, ambiguous; mysterious

deltiology – the collection of postcards

dιmarche – 1. a course of action; maneuver 2. a diplomatic initiative, representation or protest

demegoric – of or pertaining to public speaking (OED; others dictionaries say "pertaining to demagogues or demagogic speech", which is quite different.)

demerit – its original Latin form meant "merit"

demersal – living in the deepest part of a body of water

demijohn – a large bottle with bulging body and narrow neck (it typically holds 3 - 10 gallons and is encased in wicker, with one or two handles for carrying)

demiquaver – see quaver

demi-vierge – 'a girl or woman still undevirginated, yet far from innocent' – scholar Eric Partridge. In other words, a technical virgin

demonomancy – divination by the aid of devils and evil spirits [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]

demos – the common people; the populace

denim – toponym: originally the cloth de Nξmes, cloth from Nξmes, France

deoch an doris – see stirrup-cup

deracinate – 1. to pull out by the roots 2. to displace from one's native or accustomed environment

derogate – to belittle; disparage

derringer – eponym: a short-barreled pocket pistol

desiccate – to remove the moisture from

desinence – a grammatical ending; an inflection

desmodromic – mechanics: having  different controls for their actuation in different directions. desmodromic valve – a valve closed by a cam and leverage system, rather than the more conventional valve springs

desultory – jumping from one subject to another, without order or rational connection; disconnected

deus ex machina – [literally "god from a machine"] an agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an apparently insoluble difficulty

dewlap – a fold of loose skin hanging from the neck of a person, or of certain animals (like the wattle of a turkey, for example)

diablerie – 1. black magic; sorcery 2. mischievous conduct; deviltry

diacritical mark – a mark added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation (see macron, breve)

diadem – a jeweled crown or headband

diagonal – the / sign. (for synonyms, see virgule)

dialectic – 1. the tension between two interacting/conflicting forces 2.  the art or practice of reaching truth by the exchange of logical arguments

diamerdis – a man who is covered in feces

diapason (also here) – 1. an organ stop sounding a main register of flue pipes 2. a grand swelling burst of harmony

diaphanous – so light and delicate as to be see-through

diaresis – (from Greek diairein "to divide"): 1. modification of a syllable by distinctly pronouncing two adjacent letters (typically vowels): naοve and Zoλ, each having two syllables rather than one.  2. the symbol (diacritical mark) used in English to represent this pronunciation, being two dots over a letter, as in δ. (In German the mark is used for a different sound – see umlaut – so the symbol is also called an umlaut.)

diaspora – the dispersion of any people from their traditional homeland; esp., he dispersion of the Jews from Israel

diddle – eponym: originally (1806), "to cheat, swindle," in a small-time way. Note: dic. etymologies neglect this point.

dielectric – a material that poorly conducts electricity; an insulator

diener – an assistant in a morgue, pathology lab, or other death-oriented facility [Creepy overtones. Think of Frankenstein’s Igor? German Leichendiener, literally “corpse servant”.]

dieresis – the double-dot symbol when indicating a sound repetition, as in coφperation

diet – certain legislative assemblies (e.g., in Japan, in Holy Roman Empire)

digerati – those who have or claim expertise in computers, the internet, and the web

digital shoplifting – in a store, using a cameraphone to copy selected pages (e.g., a recipe) from a book or magazine

digraph – a pair of letters used to write one sound [ch and th in English spelling]. If vowels, see diphthong.

dingo – a wild dog, native to Australia

dinkum; fair dinkum; dinky-dye – Australian slang: honest, truthful, honorable

dint – n. force or effort; power: succeeded by dint of hard work; also, n. a dent; tr.v. to put a dent in

Dionysian – eponym: of an ecstatic, orgiastic, or irrational nature; frenzied or undisciplined

diphthong – proper diphthong: two vowel sounds pronounced in one syllable: noise. Also improper diphthong: two vowels as one syllable, only one of them being sounded; rain; people

dirge – (interesting etymology; see Archives)

dirigisme – state intervention and control of economic matters

discombobulate – to throw confusion

disingenuous – insincere or calculating; giving a false appearance of frankness.  (Sometimes misused as a synonym for naive, the opposite, as if the dis- prefix intensified the remainder rather than negate it.)

dismal – etymology: eventually tracing back to the concept of "unlucky days": Latin dies "days" + mali "bad." Through the Middle Ages, calendars marked two days of each month as unlucky, supposedly based on the ancient calculations of Egyptian astrologers.

disposophobia – compulsive hoarding; the fear of throwing anything away

dissentient – dissenting, especially the majority's view (noun: a dissenter)

distaff – of women

dithyramb – a wildly enthusiastic speech or writing (also: 1. a frenzied, impassioned choric hymn and dance of ancient Greece 2. an irregular poetic expression)

dittany – toponym: an aromatic woolly plant of Crete, akin to oregano, formerly used medicinally. [after Mt. Dicte in Crete.]

dittography – a copyist's unintentional repetition of letter(s) or word(s)

diurnal – 1. recurring every day (diurnal tasks; diurnal tides) 2. active chiefly in the daytime (diurnal animals), as opposed to nocturnal (compare circadian; diurnal)

diva – a principal female singer; also, an extremely arrogant or temperamental woman

divagate (also here) – 1. to wander or drift about 2. to ramble; digress

Dives – eponym: a rich man

divvy van – Australian slang: police van, paddy wagon

docent – a lecturer or tour guide in a museum, cathedral, etc.; also, in some universities, a teacher or lecturer who is not a regular faculty member

Dogberry – eponym: an ignorant, self-important official

doggo – 'lie doggo' Brit. informal, dated: remain motionless and quiet to escape detection

Dogpatch – the prototype of the low-class, rural hick

doh – expressing frustration, realizing that things have turned out badly, or that one has just done something foolish [Homer Simpson is using word listed in OED]

dolce far niente – pleasant idleness [Ital: 'sweet doing nothing']

dolce vita – a lifestyle of appreciating and savoring the pleasures of life

Dolly Varden – eponym: a colorful California species of trout or char (also, 1. cloth a large flower pattern, or a certain dress style made from that fabric 2. a style of women's hat, large and abundantly trimmed with flowers)

Don Juan – eponym: a seducer of women

dontopedalogy – putting one’s foot in one’s mouth

doolally – toponym; UK and India: dotty; eccentric; "nuts"

doozy – eponym: slang: something extraordinary or bizarre (thus, either positive or negative)

doppelganger – a ghostly double of a person, esp. of a living person. from Ger: doppel = double + Gδnger = goer

dorgi – coinage: a dog that is a cross between a corgi and a dachshunds

dorma – a long-necked Russian string instrument, like a lute, with a round body and three or four metal strings

dormant – heraldry: in a sleeping position. See rampant, guardant, saliant for other heraldic terms.

dormition – a falling asleep (and a euphemism for 'death')

dorp – a hamlet or village

doss – the price of a bed for a night

dotard – an old person, especially one who is weak or senile (in his dotage)

douane – a customhouse

double comparative – a construction like Your cooking is more tastier than my mother’s, intensifying an adjective/adverb that is already comparative. Related: double superlative

double Dutch – incomprehensible talk

doubting Thomas – eponym: one who is habitually doubtful; one who insists on "seeing the evidence" (Note: this is not a term for simple hardheaded skepticism. Rather, it implies that the demand for evidence is uncalled-for or extreme.)

douceur – a gift or service done or to be done; also, gentleness and sweetness in manner

doughty – brave and resolute, stouthearted

dowager – a widow of high social rank who has a title and property because of her marriage

doxy – 1. a female lover; a mistress 2. a sexually promiscuous woman [perhaps from obsolete Dutch docke, doll]

doyenne – a woman who is the eldest or senior member of a group.  doyen – 1. the masc. equivalent of doyenne 2. the oldest example of a category

Dr. Fell – eponym: a senior person one dislikes, esp. a pedant [not in dictionaries]

drab (noun) – 1. a slattern (a dirty and untidy woman); or, a harlot; 2. later: a small or petty sum (of money)

Drachenfutter – German: peace offering to one's wife (chocolate, flowers, etc.) when one has behaved badly. Literally "dragon fodder"

draconian – eponym: exceedingly harsh; very severe: a draconian legal code; draconian budget cuts. From Draco, politician who codified the laws of Athens (c. 621). Lauded for its impartiality, his code was unpopular for its severity.

draculin – the anticoagulant factor in vampire bat saliva. (Someone had a sense of humor in naming this!)

dragoon – 1. to subjugate or persecute by imposition of troops 2. to compel by violent measures or threats; coerce

draisine – eponym: the earliest kind of bicycle

dramatis personae – the characters in a drama or play

dramaturg; dramaturge – a kind of theater consultant; a person knowledgeable in theatrical history, theory, and practice, who helps a director, designer, playwright or actor realize their intentions in a production

Drawcansir – eponym: one source: "one who kills or injures both friend and foe". Another: "a blustering, bullying fellow; a pot-valiant braggart".

dray – a cart used to carry barrels

drib (verb) – to fall in drops; to dribble; later, noun: a drop, a petty or inconsiderable quantity

dribs and drabs (“in d~ and d~”) – in small and intermittent sums or amounts”, but you rarely hear separately of a drib or a drab.

drogulus – something the presence of which cannot be verified, usually a disembodied being, because it has no physical effects [coined by A.J.Ayer]

droke – a valley with steep sides, sometimes wooded and with a stream

drongo – Australian slang: a really dumb dude

drop catching – snagging domain names that owners have let expire, either accidentally or because no longer wanted

drumlin – an elongated hill, often tear-shaped, formed by moving glacier-ice

dryasdust – eponym: a dull, pedantic speaker or writer

dual-use technology – technology that can be used for both peaceful and military purposes (usually, production of nuclear weapons)

ductile – of a metal: capable of being stretched out into thin wire; contrast malleable

duende – a performer's fiery intensity that sweeps away the audience

duff, up the – Australian slang: pregnant

dumbbell – (for exercise): bizarre etymology, from a pun by Joseph Addison in 1711?

dumbledore – 1. a bumblebee 2. the name of the headmaster of Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter series of novels

dump ­– see holey dollar

dun – dull grayish brown (also, a horse of this color)

dundrearies – eponym: long, flowing sideburns

dungavenhooter – a mythical, comical monster, common to the US logging regions.

dunghill cock – a man who is not ‘game’; a coward or spiritless fellow

dunny – Australian slang: toilet

dupe – to deceive or swindle; a person who is easily duped [bizarre etymology: from a bird!]

duplex – an apartment of two floors connected by a staircase; or, a house with two units sharing a common wall

dura mater – the outermost membrane (of three) enveloping the brain and spinal cord

Dutch auction – an auction in which an item is initially offered at a high price that is progressively lowered until a bid is made and the item sold

Dutch comfort – cold comfort (as in the 'comforting' reflection, "After all, it could be worse")

Dutch courage – courage acquired from drinking liquor

Dutch defense – surrender

Dutch reckoning – a bill given as a flat amount due, without details or breakdown [that is, no reckoning at all]

Dutch treat – an outing, as for dinner or a movie, in which each person pays his or her own expenses

Dutch uncle – a counselor who admonishes frankly and sternly

Dutch widow – a prostitute [per dictionaries; but may have changed to mean "Dutch wife"]

Dutch wife – dictionary politely says "a firm bolster used in bed to support the upper knee while somebody is sleeping on his or her side." [Why called a "wife"? Note that a pillow "to support the upper knee" would be placed between the legs.]

dwy – an eddy, flurry; squall

dyspeptic – having a bad digestion; also, irritable, morose, gloomy. contrast eupeptic

dyspnea – difficulty in breathing

dystopia – an imagined world in which life is extremely bad (an anti-utopia); also, a work describing such a place or state: dystopias such as "Brave New World"

dystrophy – a condition caused by faulty nutrition

e pluribus unum – from many, one. This, the official motto of the United States of America, comes from a prosaic source. Virgil's early poem 'Moretum', is essentially a recipe for making a salad; the protagonist mashes herbs together until their the many colors have blended into one: "color est e pluribus usus." I cannot say whether our founding fathers took this from Virgil, or from a previous borrowing.

earmarks (earmarking) – “special spending projects that members of Congress procure for their home districts, often with little or no oversight” (Reuters, Apr. 30, 2008)

earwig (verb) – 1. to pester with private importunities or admonitions 2. to insinuate oneself into the confidence of 3. to evesdrop.  earwigged – having a ‘maggot’ or craze in one's brain

easel – from the Dutch ezel = "ass," the comparison being of loading a burden on a donkey and propping up a painting or canvas on a wooden stand. The easel served the artist as an ass, dumbly bearing the load.

easy street – a state of financial comfort or security

eau de nil – light green; literally, "water of the Nile". An unusual term, not listed in OED. But the word-in-use seems to refer to a deeper gray-green.

Ebonics – African-American English, esp. when considered as a distinct language or dialect related to certain West African languages, rather than as a non-standard variety of English

ebullient – zestfully enthusiastic ("the ebullient enthusiasm of the French" – Carlyle) (also a lesser-known meaning: boiling; bubbling.  The latter, literal meaning was the earlier.)

ecdysiast – coinage: a stripper-tease artist; a stripper [ecdysis –zoology: the process of shedding the old skin (in snakes, etc.)] Coined by Mencken, who had also considered "moltician".

echoic – (of a word) imitating a sound of nature, such as crack, buzz, click, snap, splash.  (see onomatopoeia)

eclipse – to surpass; outshine

ecphore; ecphorize – to evoke or revive (an emotion, a memory, or the like) by means of a stimulus. [typically in the context of echocrizing an emgram; which see]

ectopic – in an abnormal place or position. [Greek ektopos ‘out of place’]

edacious – devouring food in great quantities; voracious

Eden – toponym: a paradise of innocence and unspoiled, idyllic peace (adj. edenic)

edenic – of or like a paradise

edentate (also here) – without teeth

effigy – a likeness of a person, esp. in the form of sculpture

effluvium – 1. an emanation or exhalation (usu. invisible, e.g., vapor or gas) 2. a byproduct or residue; waste; or, the smelly fumes of by waste or decaying matter 3. an impalpable emanation; an aura

effulgent – shining brilliantly; resplendent; or as if shining

eftsoons – soon afterward; presently

Egeria – eponym: a woman advisor or companion

egg corn – the error of substituting, for the correct word, a homonym or near-homonym (egg corn for acorn; baited breath for bated breath)

Eggs Benedict – eponym: concocted by the Waldorf-Astoria hotel (as in the Waldorf salad) as a hangover cure for a Mr. Samuel Benedict

egoism – over-concern for oneself; self-importance (see egotism)

egotism – talking too much about oneself; self-exaltation; self-praise (see egoism)

egregious – eminently bad or reprehensible

eighty-six – (orig. restaurant/bar slang) to refuse to serve (the item is out, or the customer is unwelcome). by extension: to throw out; to eject or discard; to get rid of

eke – verb: to add to, with the sense of making something go further by supplying what is missing

elaterium – a cathartic obtained from the dried juice of the spitting cucumber

eldritch – strange; unearthly; weird; eerie

electronic ink – a coated substance, of paper-like thickness and flexibility, whose colors at each point can be changed (by electric stimulus) to produce changing text and images

electuary – a medicinal conserve or paste, consisting of a powder mixed with honey, preserve, or syrup

eleλmosynary – relating to charity; also, supported by charity.  From Greek eleemon, pitiful; eleos, pity. The same root generated "alms".

elegiac – wistfully mournful for something past and gone. [elegy – a funeral poem; a poem of lamentation]

elision – the omission of a sound, in a word, making it easier to pronounce. [Examples: pronouncing laboratory as four syllables, or temperature and vegetable as three syllables.]

ellipse – an oval-shaped curve; a circle that has been 'stretched'. elliptical (rhetoric) – 1. of extreme economy in speech or writing; hence, 2. having a part omitted (see ellipsis) 3. deliberately obscure

ellipsis – the omission of words not necessary for understanding (for example, to shorten a quotation).  The symbol ... used to show that omission

elute – to extract one material from another, esp. by a solvent

elutriate – 1. to separate, or remove (ore, for example) by washing, decanting, and settling 2. to wash away the finer particles of

eluvium – residual deposits of soil, dust, and rock particles produced by the action of the wind

Elysium – a paradise; a place or condition of ideal happiness (adj. elysian – pertaining to the abode of the blessed dead; hence, of highest pleasure and delight)

embonpoint – condition of stoutness, plumpness

embrangle – to confuse, perplex, or entangle somebody or something (archaic)

ιminence grisι – eponym: 1. an adviser or decision-maker (often secret) with great power beyond any official status; one who wields real though not titular control; a "power behind the throne" 2. (technically, a misuse) a respected elder statesman

empennage – the tail assembly of an aircraft

empyrean – the highest reaches of heaven, the abode of God and angels; paradise; also the sky. adj: of or relating to the empyrean of ancient belief

empyreumatic – smelling like burnt flesh

enceinte – 1. pregnant 2. a fortification encircling a castle or town; also, the area protected [different senses, each from the concept of ‘to gird; to encircle closely’]

enclave – an enclosed territory foreign from the territory that surrounds it

encomium – an expression of praise; implies enthusiasm and warmth

end run – from US football: to bypass (an impediment), often by deceit or trickery; also, the trick or maneuver itself

endemic – peculiar to a place or to a class of persons: endemic to the tropics (contrast epidemic, pandemic)

endgame – the final stage of an extended process or course of events [from the game of chess: the final stage of a game, when most pieces have been removed from the board; requires different strategy]

endomorphic – having a heavy rounded body build, with a marked tendency to become fat

endonym – the local name for a geographic place (e.g., what we call Rome is Roma in Italian); contrast exonym

endue; indue – to endow with a quality or ability

enervate – to weaken physically, mentally or morally (can also be used as an adjective) Not to be confused with energize

enfant terrible – one who is strikingly, shockingly unconventional (often, one who embarrasses or compromises his associates by being so; see last two quotes)

enfeoff – to invest with a feudal estate or fee

engram – a memory-trace; a permanent and heritable physical change in the brain’s nerve tissue, posited to account for the existence of memory

engross – 1. to occupy exclusively; absorb 2. to monopolize (a market). 3. to write or transcribe in a large, clear hand; or to write or print the final draft of (an official document)

enmity – deep-seated hatred

enormity – extreme wickedness; an outrage. Note: often misused in lieu of "enormousness", to mean immensity.

ensiform – sword-shaped (see gladiate, xiphoid)

ensorcellment – an enchantment or spell

entablature – the part of a classical building resting atop the columns. consists of architrave (bottommost), frieze (middle) and cornice (top)

entelechy – a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment

enthusiasm – (interesting etymology; see Archives)

enthymeme – a "truncated syllogism" where one premises is left implicit, rather than stated explicitly

entomology – study of insects (bugology; insectology) [sometimes confused with etymology]

entresol – a mezzanine floor

entwicklungsroman – synonymous with bildungsroman: a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character

eolian; aeolian – relating to, caused by, or carried by the wind

epenthesis – the addition of extra sounds in the middle of a word, (as) in thunder from prior thunor (more examples – empty and nimble; "nukular" for nuclear; "athalete" for athlete)

epeolatry – worship of words

ephemera – items of short-lived interest or usefulness, especially printed matter that that later acquires value to collectors (also: plural of emphemeron ­– a short-lived thing)

ephemeris – (pl. ephemerides) a table giving the coordinates of a celestial body at a number of specific times during a given period

epicaricacy – a malicious satisfaction at the misfortunes of others
Not in OED, but found in reputable prior dictionaries. Wordcraft is pleased to have been the first on-line source to uncover this; see Discussion Board.  English later borrowed the German word schadenfreude, of like meaning.

epicene – having characteristics of both the male and the female, as an epicene angel
Also, in linguistics, a word having the same form for both male and female (inventing epicene pronouns, such as s/he and hisser)

epicenter – the focal point, esp. of a crisis (originally, the point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake)

epicrisis – one of those unusual words which has two different pronunciations, with two different meanings.
1. epic΄risis (accent on second syllable) – a detailed critical study or evaluation (some sources add 'of a literary work')
2. ep΄icri΄sis – medical: a secondary crisis; one following the primary of a disease (accent on first syllable; secondary accent on the penultimate [= next to last])

epicure – one with refined taste, esp. in food and wine. (With a sense of "over-refined'; contrast gourmet)

epidemic – simultaneously afflicting a large proportion of a community. (contrast endemic, pandemic)

epigamic – (of a trait or behavior) tending to attract a mate, such as large antlers or bright colors

epigone – a second-rate imitator or follower, esp. of a writer, artist or musician (pronounced with three syllables; the 'e' at the end is silent.)

epilogue – a speech at the end of a play, addressed to the audience [also: a short addition at the end of a book, often dealing with the future of its characters]

epiphany – a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something

episteme  – a body of ideas which give shape to the knowledge of that time

epistrophe – rhetoric: repeating at the end of successive parallel phrases: "government of the people, by the people, for the people". (contrast anaphora)

epithalamion – a lyric ode in honor of a bride and bridegroom

epithet – a smear-name: racial epithets. more generally, a characterizing adjective or substitute-name, positive or negative: Catherine the GreatAlso: an adjective naming some particularly appropriate quality: a just man; a verdant lawn.

epitome – 1. an example [compare apotheosis] 2. a prιcis or summary of a book or article

epizoic – growing on the external surface of an animal; as, an epizoic parasite

epizootic – of a disease which attacks many animals at the same time. (The equivalent of epidemic; strictly speaking, that term is limited to a disease widespread among people.)

epolose – feasting to excess

eponym – a person whose name is used as a word (often used to mean the word named after the person)

eponymous – relating to an eponym; giving one's name to a tribe, people, country, and the like.  Often used to mean 'eponymic*'.

epynomic – named after a person (contrast eponymous)

equerry – one who cares for the royal horses

equine – like a horse

equipoise – 1. a counterbalance 2. equality of weight or force; hence, equilibrium – said of moral, political, or social interests or forces

equivocation – the ambiguity which occurs when a single word or phrase is ambiguous; this ambiguity is not grammatical but lexical. [Obviously, the term has other and more familiar meanings.]

erg – coinage: a unit of work or energy

ergative language – one where a noun has a special form when used as the subject of a transitive verb

ergomaniac – a workaholic

ergophile – one who loves work

eristic – given to disputatious, often specious argument (noun: the practice of same; a person given to or expert in same)

ermine – toponym: see stoat

erotic acid – vitamin B13 (not an aphrodisiac!). Its correct name is orotic acid, but it has been misspelled so often in the chemical literature that it is also known as erotic acid. Apparently, if you add another carbon to it, it becomes homo-erotic acid.

erotomania – melancholy or madness caused by imaginative love

erstwhile – former; at a previous time

eruct – to belch (literally, or metaphorically, as to eject in large quantities)

eructation – a belch (by a person, or by a volcano)

erythrism – unusual redness of plumage or hair (in humans, often accompanied by a ruddy complexion). Coined 1864 from Greek eruthros red; caused by excessive red pigmentation

escarpment – a long, steep slope at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights

escritoire – a writing table; a desk, particularly, a desk with a top section for books

esculent – suitable for eating; edible

escutcheon – a thin metal decorative plate to ornament or protect wood (e.g., the shield around a doorknob, keyhole or drawer-pull)
also: escutcheon – a shield or emblem bearing a coat of arms (blot on one’s escutcheon – a stain on one’s reputation or character)

esker – a long winding ridge of sediment (often resembles a railroad embankment) deposited by meltwater streams under a retreating glacier

espalier – a tree or shrub that is trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall, often in a symmetrical pattern; also, a trellis or other framework on which an ornamental shrub or fruit tree is trained to grow flat

esquamulose – lacking minute scales

esquivalience – a fake word created by the New Oxford American Dictionary

estaminet – a small cafι

estivate; aestivate – to pass the summer in a torpid state; also, to spend the summer, as at a special place

estuarial – relating to an estuary, the area near the mouth of a river where river flow mixes with tidal flow, fresh water with salt water

ether – 1. literary: the clear sky; the upper regions of air (adj. etheric) 2. the internet [not in dictionaries, but see quote]
Derivative: Ethernet – the dominant system for connecting computers into a local area network (trademark, but sometimes used generically)

ethnonym –  the name of an ethnic group

etiolate – to cause to appear pale and sickly; also, to make weak by stunting the development of.

etiology – the study of causation (philosophy); also, the cause of a disease

ettle – to plan, try, aim, design, prepare, suppose (The Word Lover's Dictionary)

ιtui (or etwee; accent on second syllable) – a small case, usually ornamental, for small articles such as needles, toothpicks, etc.

etymology – the origin of a word (ultimately from Greek etymon, "the true sense of a word based upon its origin")

eucatastrophe – coined by J.R. Tolkien, meaning very roughly "happy ending" [Not an accepted 'word'.]

eudaemonic – of or producing a contented state of happiness and well-being (eudaemonism – a theory that the highest ethical goal is happiness and personal well-being

euhemerism – eponym: interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events

eulogium – a formal eulogy

eulogy – a prepared speech or writing expressing praise of a person

eumoirous – happy because innocent and good. (This word, though not in OED, can be found in other commercial word-sources.)

eupeptic – having good digestion; also, of cheerful disposition

euphonious – pleasing or sweet in sound; smooth-sounding

euphuism – eponym: affected elegance of language

Eurosclerosis – the 'disease' of rigid, slow-moving labor markets in Europe

euterpean – eponym: pertaining to music

eutrapely – pleasantness in conversation, one of the seven moral virtues that Aristotle enumerated. In the New Testament this word was used to mean 'reprehensible levity of speech'.

eutrophy – state of being well nourished. (A eutropic body of water is over-rich in organic and mineral nutrients which promote plant life at the expense of animal life, esp. as due to pollution.)

evitable – avoidable (contrast the familiar word inevitable)

evolution – a pattern of movements [among other meanings, of course. from Latin ‘unrolling’]

ex cathedra – spoken with authority; may be used ironically to describe dogmatic, self-certain statements. (literally "from the chair; in Roman Catholic doctrine, refers to the Pope speaking with infallibility)

excelsior – 1. more lofty; still higher; ever upward 2. slender, curved wood shavings used especially for packing

excerebrose – brainless; having no brain

excipient – a usually inert substance that forms a vehicle, as for a drug

exclave – a part of a country which is separate from the main body

excruciating – [from cruce, cross, referring to the pain of crucifixion] intensely painful; agonizing; also very intense or extreme: excruciating precision

exigent – requiring immediate attention; demanding; exacting (see exiguous)

exiguous – scanty; sparse; meager (see exigent)

exonumia – items, as tokens or medals, that resemble money but are not intended to circulate as money

exonym – the name for place in a foreign language (e.g., Roma is called Rome in English); contrast endonym

exorable – capable of being moved by entreaty (contrast the familiar word inexorable)

expeditious – quick and efficient

exponential – with very large increase or other change, esp. a very rapid one [Note: In precise scientific usage, 'exponential' need not be large or rapid; it is simply "the bigger it is, the faster it grows."]

expurgate – to purge of anything offensive; as, to expurgate a book

extemporanea – casual and spontaneous acts or remarks [not in the dictionaries, not even in OED, but used in print occasionally]

extirpate – 1. to pull up, as by the roots 2. to destroy completely 3. to remove surgically 4. to render locally extinct

extirpated – locally extinct

eye rhyme – a "rhyme" of words that do not rhyme, but whose spellings look like they rhyme. (example: pint and lint)