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earliest
E,e
E, e /i:/ pl. E's, e's n 1 [C, U] the fifth letter of the English alphabet 2 [C, U] the third note in the musical SCALE of C MAJOR, or the musical KEY based on this note 3 [C] a mark given to a student's work to show that it is of very low quality: I got an E in physics. 4 [C, U] ECSTASY (=an illegal drug)
E 1 written abbrev. for east or eastern 2 BrE tech abbrev. for earth; (=a connection between a piece of electrical equipment and the ground) 3 abbrev. for E number
each¹ /i:tʃ/ determiner, pron every single one of two or more things or people considered separately: She had a cut on each foot/each of her feet. | They each want to do something different. I cut the cake into pieces and gave one to each of the children. | There are four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. | It costs $60 for a week, and then $10 for each additional day.
Compare both and each. 1 Both is used for two things taken together while each is used for any number of things taken separately. Compare Both my children (=I have two children) go to the same school and Each of my children (=I have two or more children) goes to a different school. 2 Both always takes a plural verb: Both these books are mine. Each is usually singular, except a after a plural subject: Each has his own room. | They each have their own room. 1 They've each decided, haven't they? b (in BrE) sometimes when each of is followed by something long and plural: Each of the three young doctors in the hospital is/are specializing in a different subject. → see also ALL³; see EVERY (USAGE)
each² adv for or to every one: The tickets are £1 each.
each 'other also one another pron [not used as the subject of a sentence)] (shows that each of two or more does something to the other(s)): Susan and Robert kissed each other. (=Susan kissed Robert and Robert kissed Susan) | They held each other's hands. | The students in the class told each other about their own countries.
each 'way adj, adv (of money) placed to win money if the horse or dog on which money is risked comes first, second, or third, in a race: an each-way bet | He backed Red Rum each way.
EADS /i: er di: 'es/ European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company; a large European AEROSPACE company that makes CIVIL and military aircraft such as the Airbus, Eurocopter, and Eurofighter. EADS also makes weapons systems and spacecraft.
ea·ger /'i:gər/ adj [(for)] marked by strong interest or impatient desire; full of ENTHUSIASM: She listened to the story with eager attention. | He is eager for success/eager for you to meet his friends. | [F+to-v] The company is eager to expand into new markets. | [F +that] (fm) I am eager that they should win. →-ly adv →-ness n
eager 'beaver n infml someone who is almost too eager or works too hard
ea·gle¹ /'i:gəl/ n a very large strong bird with a hooked beak and very good eyesight which kills small birds and animals for food: The bald eagle is the emblem of the US. → compare HAWK
eagle² n (in GOLF) (the taking of) two fewer than the suggested number of STROKES (=hits) of the ball to reach the hole: He scored an eagle on the 14th hole.
Eagle, The a British weekly COMIC (=a magazine with stories told in pictures) for boys, which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Its best-known character was DAN DARE.
eagle-'eyed adj looking with very keen attention and noticing small details: an eagle-eyed teacher | Peter watched eagle-eyed while Bill counted the money.
Eagle ,Scout n a boy SCOUT of the highest rank in the US
ea·glet /'i:glət/ n a young EAGLE
Ea·kins, Thomas /'i:kɪnz/ (1844-1916) a US painter known for his realistic style in pictures such as The Gross Clinic
Ea·ling com·e·dy /,i:lɪŋ 'kɒmədi||-'kɑ:-/ n one of many humorous films mostly in black and white made at Ealing Studios in London during the 1940s and 1950s, in which many well-known British actors appeared
semicircular canals
auditory nerve
cochlea
earlobe
external auditory canal
eardrum
Eustachian tube
ear¹ /ɪər/ n 1 [C] either of the two organs by which people or animals hear, one on each side of the head: You needn't shout into my ear like that. I can hear you perfectly well. | an ear infection | Dogs have very good ears. (=they hear very well) 2 [S(fn)] keen recognition of sounds, especially in music and languages: She's got a good ear for music. | Peter learned to play the piano by ear. (=without written music) 3 [S] sympathetic attention: She gained the ear of the managing director and voiced her opinion. 4 all ears infml listening eagerly: Tell us what happened. We're all ears! 5 go in (at) one ear and out (at) the other infml (of information, orders etc) to have no effect because something is not listened to: I told the children to go to bed, but it went in one ear and out the other, and they're still here. 6 keep one's/an ear to the ground to keep oneself informed of news, events etc: I haven't heard of any new developments yet but I'll keep my ear to the ground. 7 out on one's ear slang suddenly thrown out of a place or dismissed from a job, because of misbehaviour: Do that one more time, and you're out on your ear! 8 someone's ears are/must be burning infml we/people have been talking (especially unkindly) about someone 9 up to one's ears in infml deep in or very busy with: I'm up to my ears in work/in debt. → see also get/give a thick ear (THICK¹), bend someone's ear (BEND¹), fall on deaf ears (FALL¹), go/send someone off/away with a flea in his/her ear (FLEA), make a pig's ear of (PIG¹), play it by ear (PLAY¹), prick up one's ears (PRICK²), turn a deaf ear to (DEAF), wet behind the ears (WET)
ear² n the head of a grain-producing plant, used for food: an ear of corn/wheat
ear·ache /'ɪəreɪk/ n [C(especially AmE); U (especially BrE)] (a) pain in the inside part of the ear → ACHE (USAGE)
ear·drum /'ɪədrʌm||'ɪər-/ n a tight thin skin inside the ear, which allows one to hear sound → see picture at EAR
eared /ɪəd||ɪərd/ adj (usually in comb.) having ears that can be seen, or are of a particular kind: the eared seal | a pink-eared rabbit | a sharp-eared little boy who hears everything we say | golden-eared corn
ear·ful /'ɪəfʊl||'ɪər-/ n [S] infml angry or complaining talk, especially that goes on for a long time: If he comes here again and tries to make trouble, he'll get an earful from me! → compare MOUTHFUL
Ear·hart, A·me·lia /'eəhɑ:t||'erhɑ:rt, ə'mi:liə/ (1898-1937) a US pilot known for being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone, and for mysteriously disappearing while flying across the Pacific Ocean
earl /ɜ:l||ɜ:rl/ n a British nobleman of high rank: the Earl of Warwick → compare COUNT³, COUNTESS
earl·dom /'ɜ:ldəm||'ɜ:rl-/ n 1 the rank of an earl 2 the lands of an earl or COUNTESS
Earl 'Grey n [U] a type of tea with a special taste and smell which come from an oil which is added to it
ear·li·est /'ɜ:list||'ɜ:rl-/ n at the earliest no earlier than, and probably later than: The letter will reach him on Monday