Search the Dictionary

economy. The position which they [the verb and adjective] hold in the general economy of language. Earle. In the Greek poets, as also in Plautus, we shall see the economy . . . of poems better observed than in Terence. B. Jonson. The Jews already had a Sabbath, which, as citizens and subjects of that economy, they wer…

A native, or one of the people, of Egypt; also, the Egyptian language.

eject a person from a room; to eject a traitor from the country; to eject words from the language. "Eyes ejecting flame." H. Brooke.

npleasantly; grace given by art or practice; fine polish; refinement; -- said of manners, language, style, form, architecture, etc. That grace that elegance affords. Drayton. The endearing elegance of female friendship. Johnson. A trait of native elegance, seldom seen in the masculine character after childhood or early…

e parts which are variously combined in anything; as, letters are the elements of written language; hence, also, a simple portion of that which is complex, as a shaft, lever, wheel, or any simple part in a machine; one of the essential ingredients of any mixture; a constituent part; as, quartz, feldspar, and mica are t…

ive speech in public; the power of expressing strong emotions in striking and appropriate language either spoken or written, thereby producing conviction or persuasion. Eloquence is speaking out . . . out of the abundance of the heart. Hare.

an emblem; symbolic; typically representative; representing as an emblem; as, emblematic language or ornaments; a crown is emblematic of royalty; white is emblematic of purity. -- Em`blem*at"ic*al*ly, adv.

nce; depending upon the observation of phenomena; versed in experiments. In philosophical language, the term empirical means simply what belongs to or is the product of experience or observation. Sir W. Hamilton. The village carpenter . . . lays out his work by empirical rules learnt in his apprenticeship. H. Spencer.…

Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; -- said of language; as, empty words, or threats. Words are but empty thanks. Cibber.

ance; power to impress the mind and arouse the feelings; life; spirit; -- said of speech, language, words, style; as, a style full of energy.

The language of England or of the English nation, and of their descendants in America, India, and other countries.

A form of expression peculiar to the English language as spoken in England; an Anglicism.

Sameness of signification of two or more propositions which differ in language.

A word or expression capable of different meanings; an ambiguous term; an equivoque. In languages of great ductility, equivocals like that just referred to are rarely found. Fitzed. Hall.

Of or pertaining to the Celtic race in the Highlands of Scotland, or to their language.

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 elimi…

The language of ancient Ethiopia; the language of the ancient Abyssinian empire (in Ethiopia), now used only in the Abyssinian church. It is of Semitic origin, and is also called Geez.

That pert of grammar which relates to the changes in the form of the words in a language; inflection.

To express by a euphemism, or in delicate language; to make use of euphemistic expressions.

An affectation of excessive elegance and refinement of language; high-flown diction.