edify (ED i FY) vt. to instruct so as to enlighten or improve morally, intellectually, or spiritually
• It might edify you to know that by the time Mozart was 13, he had been appointed honorary concertmaster.
egalitarian (ee GAL i TER ee in) adj. advocating that people should all have equal social, economic, and
political rights —n. one who so advocates
• The so-called ERA, or Equal Rights Amendment, for women was supported by egalitarian groups.
elegy (EL i gee) n. 1. a song or poem of praise for the dead; 2. any mournful song or poem
• Shelly’s “Adonais” is an elegy mourning the death of John Keats.
elemental (EL im EN til) adj. 1. of or like natural forces; typical of the physical universe; 2. basic and powerful
rather than subtle or refined;
• The force of an erupting volcano is elemental in its power.
elucidate (il OO si DAYT) vt. to clear up (especially something abstract); to explain
• Please elucidate on the subject of why you did not come home last night until after midnight.
emaciate (im AY shee AYT) vt. to cause to grow excessively thin; to cause to waste away
• Starvation emaciates the body.
emancipate (im AN si PAYT) vt. 1. to set free from bondage, slavery, serfdom, and the like; 2. to free from
control or restraint
• At age 18 in most states, a child can be emancipated from his or her parents’ control.
embezzle (em BEZ il) vt. to steal by fraud; to take money from someone on false pretense and then spend it on
oneself
• Several corporate executives spent the late 1990s embezzling their stockholders’ money.
emit (ee MIT) vt. to send out; send forth; give off; utter; discharge
• A transmitter’s antenna emits some kind of waves.
emollient (im AHL yint) adj. softening; soothing —n. a substance that has a softening effect when applied to the
skin
• Many medicinal preparations have an emollient effect.
encomium (in KOHM ee uhm) n. a formal expression of praise; a hymn or eulogy
• “Adonais” is Shelly’s encomium to the poet John Keats.
enigmatic (EN ig MAT ik) adj. like a seemingly inexplicable matter (enigma); perplexing; baffling
• Lightning must have been very enigmatic to everyone living prior to the eighteenth century.
enunciate (in UHN see AYT) vt. 1. to state in a systematic way; 2. to pronounce words clearly; 3. to announce
• Einstein first enunciated his theory of relativity in 1905.
enzyme (EN zym) n. any one of many proteins developed by plants and animals that act as catalysts in certain
chemical reactions
• Chlorophyll acts as an enzyme in green plants’ process of photosynthesis.
epicure (EP ik yur) n. a person who has an appreciation of fine food and drink, and enjoys consuming same
• French cuisine has a great appeal to the epicure.
1. edify
2. egalitarian
3. elegy
4. elemental
5. elucidate
6. emaciate
7. emancipate
8. embezzle
9. emit
10. emollient
11. encomium
12. enigmatic
13. enunciate
14. enzyme
15. epicure
a. tribute
b. gourmet
c. moisturizer
d. utter
e. obscure
f. catalyst
g. waste away
h. discharge
i. basic
j. free
k. steal
l. explain
m. lament
n. equal rights advocate
o. enlighten