| erica | <botany> A genus of shrubby plants, including the heaths, many of them producing beautiful flowers. Origin: NL, fr. L. Erice heath, Gr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| ericaceous | <botany> Belonging to the Heath family, or resembling plants of that family; consisting of heats. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Erichsen | Sir John, English surgeon, 1818-1896. See: Erichsen's sign. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Erichsen's sign | <clinical sign> In sacroiliac disease, pain is felt when sudden pressure approximates the iliac bones; this sign is not present in hip disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ericinol | <chemistry> A colourless oil (quickly becoming brown), with a pleasant odour, obtained by the decomposition of ericolin. Origin: NL. Ericaceae the Heath family + L. Oleum oil. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| ericolin | <chemistry> A glucoside found in the bearberry (and others of the Ericaceae), and extracted as a bitter, yellow, amorphous mass. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| eridanus | <anatomy> A long, winding constellation extending southward from Taurus and containing the bright star Achernar. Origin: L, fr. Gr, the Greek name of the River Po. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| erinaceous | <zoology> Of the Hedgehog family; like, or characteristic of, a hedgehog. Origin: L. Erinaceus hedgehog. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| erinite | <chemical> A hydrous arseniate of copper, of an emerald-green colour; so called from Erin, or Ireland, where it occurs. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| erinys | Origin: L, fr. Gr. An avenging deity; one of the Furies; sometimes, conscience personified. Alternative forms: Erinnys. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| eriodictyon | The dried leaves of Eriodictyon californicum (family Hydrophyllaceae); the fluidextract and the syrup have been used as an expectorant and to mask the taste of bitter substances. Synonym: mountain balm, yerba santa. (05 Mar 2000) |
| eriometer | <optics> An instrument for measuring the diameters of minute particles or fibres, from the size of the coloured rings produced by the diffraction of the light in which the objects are viewed. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| erisophake | A surgical instrument designed to hold the lens by suction in cataract extraction; now seldom used. Origin: G. Erysis, a drawing, + phakos, lentil (05 Mar 2000) |
| eristalis | <entomology> A genus of dipterous insects whose young (called rat-tailed larvae) are remarkable for their long tapering tail, which spiracles at the tip, and for their ability to live in very impure and salt waters; also called drone fly. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| eritrea | A country of eastern africa, west of the red sea. In ancient times, it formed a part of many kingdoms at different periods. Its capital is asmara. Under italian rule from 1869 to 1890 and under the british as a protectorate until 1952, it was federated with ethiopia in 1952 and was made one of its provinces in 1962. In 1991 eritrea was established as a de facto independent state and became fully independent in 1993. The name eritrea alludes to its location near the red sea since it comes from the greek erythros, red. (12 Dec 1998) |