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A figure in which a harts or indelicate word or expression is softened; a way of describing an offensive thing by an inoffensive expression; a mild name for something disagreeable.

al qualities; morally corrupt; wicked; wrong; vicious; as, evil conduct, thoughts, heart, words, and the like. Ah, what a sign it is of evil life, When death's approach is seen so terrible. Shak.

and sometimes has a privative sense of without, as in exalbuminuos, exsanguinous. In some words, it intensifies the meaning; in others, it has little affect on the signification. It becomes ef- before f, as in effuse. The form e- occurs instead of ex- before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, and v, as in ebullient, emanate, enormou…

The name of King Arthur's mythical sword. [Written also Excalibar, Excalibor, Escalibar, and Caliburn.] Tennyson.

Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality; -- used with words of a bad significance. [Obs. or Ironical] "An excellent hypocrite." Hume. Their sorrows are most excellent. Beau. & Fl.

e thing in the place of another; as, an exchange of grief for joy, or of a scepter for a sword, and the like; also, the act of giving and receiving reciprocally; as, an exchange of civilities or views.

amor; that which is cried out, as an expression of feeling; sudden expression of sound or words indicative of emotion, as in surprise, pain, grief, joy, anger, etc. Exclamations against abuses in the church. Hooker. Thus will I drown your exclamations. Shak. A festive exclamation not unsuited to the occasion. Trench.…

Length of stroke, as of a piston; stroke. [An awkward use of the word.]

A word used for cursing; an imprecatory word or expression. Earle.

rtion; to practice gymnastics; as, to exercise for health or amusement. I wear my trusty sword, When I do exercise. Cowper.

To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments, as to a good deed or laudable conduct; to address exhortation to; to urge strongly; hence, to advise, warn, or caution. Examples gross as earth exhort me. Shak. Let me exhort you to take care of yourself. J. D. Forbes.

a calamity or of a state of war. The existence therefore, of a phenomenon, is but another word for its being perceived, or for the inferred possibility of perceiving it. J. S. Mill.

foreign country; not native; extraneous; foreign; as, an exotic plant; an exotic term or word. Nothing was so splendid and exotic as the ambassador. Evelyn.

The state of being exotic; also, anything foreign, as a word or idiom; an exotic.

r. Whence hath the mind all the materials of reason and knowledge To this I answer in one word, from experience. Locke. Experience may be acquired in two ways; either, first by noticing facts without any attempt to influence the frequency of their occurrence or to vary the circumstances under which they occur; this is…

Experience. [Obs.] Adam, by sad experiment I know How little weight my words with thee can find. Milton.

aliant and most expert gentleman. Shak. What practice, howsoe'er expert In fitting aptest words to things . . . Hath power to give thee as thou wert Tennison.

Pertaining to, or uttered at, the time of dying; as, expiring words; expiring groans.

A word, letter, or syllable not necessary to the sense, but inserted to fill a vacancy; an oath. While explectives their feeble aid to join, And ten low words oft creep in one dull line. Pope.

Serving to fill up; expletive; superfluous; as, an expletory word. Bp. Burnet.