459
Episcopalian
live, especially as they influence their feelings and develop-
ment: Children need a happy home environment. | a well-
planned modern factory that offers a pleasant working
environment → compare ENVIRONS, SURROUNDINGS → ~al
/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmentl/ adj: The environmental effect of this new
factory could be disastrous. → ~ally adv
En'vironment ,Agency, the a British government
organization whose aim is to make sure that rivers and water
supplies are clean, and that factories, farmers etc do not
harm the environment with their waste materials
en-vi-ron-men-tal-ist /ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmentəl-ɪst/ n a person
who tries to prevent the ENVIRONMENT from being spoilt
—ism n [U]
Environmental Pro'tection ,Agency, the also the
EPA a US government organization whose aim is to protect
the land, air, and water from POLLUTION, for example by
dangerous chemicals, smoke, or industrial waste
en,vironment 'friendly also environ,mentally
'friendly adj not harmful to the ENVIRONMENT
CULTURAL NOTE Because more people are now concerned
about the environment, they are demanding more
products, machines, and ways of doing things that are not
harmful to the environment. These products and methods
are advertised as environmentally friendly.
en'vironment ,secretary n a British governmental posi-
tion established in the 1960s to control matters related to
the environment
en-vi-rons /'envɪrənz, ɪn'vaɪərənz||ɪn'vaɪərənz/ n [Pl oft] fml
the area surrounding a town: Oxford and its environs are
worth a visit. → compare ENVIRONMENT
en-vis-age /ɪn'vɪzɪdʒ/ also en-vi-sion /ɪn'vɪʒən/ AmE — v
[T] to see in the mind as a future possibility; FORESEE: It
should be quite simple; I don't envisage any difficulty. | [+v-ing/
that] When do you envisage being able/that you will be able to
pay me back?
en-voy /'envɔɪ/ n a person who is sent as a representative,
especially by one government to do business with another
government
en-vy¹ /'envi/ n [U(at, of, towards)] the feeling you have towards
someone when you wish that you had their qualities or
possessions: They were full of envy/green with envy when
they saw my new car. | Their beautiful garden is the envy of
all the neighbours. (=they all wish they had one like it) →
compare JEALOUSY; see JEALOUS (USAGE), SEVEN DEADLY
SINS
envy² v [T] to feel envy towards (someone) because of
(something): How I envy you; I wish I could make my hair
curl like that. | I envy your ability to work so fast. |
[+obj(i)+obj(d)] I don't envy you your journey in this bad weather.
en-zyme /'enzaɪm/ n a CATALYST (=a chemical substance)
produced by certain living cells, which can cause chemical
change in plants or animals or can make these changes
happen more quickly, without being changed itself
e-on /'iːən/ n AEON
E 111 /ˌiː wʌn r'levən/ n a document which is available to
citizens of any country in the EU (=European Union), and
which gives them the right to receive free health care when
they visit other EU countries
E-os /'iːɒs||-ɑːs/ in Greek MYTHOLOGY, the goddess of the
DAWN (=the beginning of the day when light first appears).
In Roman mythology her name is AURORA.
EPA, the /ˌiː piː 'e/ abbrev. for the Environmental Protection
Agency
ep-au-let, -lette /ˌepə'let/ n a decorative part on the
shoulder of a uniform
Ep-cot Cen-ter, the /'epkɒt ˌsentər||-kɑːt-/ the Experi-
mental Prototype Community of Tomorrow Center; a part
of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida in the US, where
visitors can see some of the machines and equipment which
may be used in the future
é-pée /'epeɪ/ n a sharp-pointed stiff narrow sword, with a
bowl-shaped guard for the hand, used in FENCING → compare
FOIL³, SABRE
e-phem-er-al /ɪ'femərəl/ adj lasting only a short time; TRAN-
SITORY: His success as a singer was ephemeral. | ephemeral
fashions —rally adv
ep-ic¹ /'epɪk/ n 1 a long poem telling the story of the deeds
of gods and great men and women, or the early history of a
nation: 'The Odyssey' is an epic of ancient Greece. 2 a book,
film etc (usually a long one) that has some of the qualities of
an epic: a Hollywood epic about the Roman Empire
epic² adj usually apprec 1 (of stories, events etc) full of brave
action and excitement, like an epic: an account of their epic
journey across the desert 2 often humor unusually great: To
celebrate the victory, a banquet of epic proportions was held.
ep-i-cen-tre BrE || -ter AmE /'epɪˌsentər/ n tech the place on
the Earth's surface which is just above the point inside the
Earth where an EARTHQUAKE begins
ep-i-cure /'epɪkjʊər/ n a person who takes great interest in
the pleasures of food and drink; GOURMET
ep-i-cu-re-an /ˌepɪkjʊ'riːən/ adj, n (being or typical of) a
person who particularly enjoys the more delicate pleasures
of the senses, especially eating and drinking
Epicurean n someone who believes in the ideas of the Greek
PHILOSOPHER Epicurus (341-270 BC), who said that pleasure
is good, and suffering is bad and should be avoided
—Epicurean adj
ep-i-dem-ic /ˌepɪ'demɪk/ n a large number of cases of the
same infectious disease during a single period of time: There
has been an epidemic of cholera/a cholera epidemic in the
city. | (fig.) There has recently been an epidemic of car stealing. |
Violence is reaching epidemic levels in the city. → compare
ENDEMIC
ep-i-der-mis /ˌepɪ'dɜːmɪs||-ɜːr-/ n [C;U] med the outside part
of the skin
ep-i-dur-al /ˌepɪ'djʊərəl||-'duː-/ n med the putting of a
substance into a patient's lower back with a needle to free
them from pain, especially to a woman who is giving birth
ep-i-glott-is /ˌepɪ'glɒtɪs||-'glɑː-/ n med a little shield at the
back of the tongue, which closes to prevent food or drink
from entering the lungs
ep-i-gram /'epɪgræm/ n a short clever amusing saying or
poem: My favourite epigram is 'Everything I like is either
illegal, immoral, or fattening.'
ep-i-gram-mat-ic /ˌepɪgrə'mætɪk/ adj expressed in a
short clever amusing way: her epigrammatic wit → ~ally
/-kli/ adv
ep-i-lep-sy /'epɪlepsi/ n [U] an illness of the brain which
causes sudden attacks of uncontrolled violent movement
and loss of consciousness
ep-i-lep-tic /ˌepɪ'leptɪk/ adj, n (of, for, or being) a person
who suffers from epilepsy: He had an epileptic fit. | an
epileptic child
ep-i-logue also -log AmE /'epɪlɒg||-lɔːg, -lɑːg/ n 1 the last
part of a piece of literature which finishes it off, especially a
speech made by one of the actors at the end of a play →
compare PROLOGUE 2 a short religious broadcast at the end
of a day's broadcasting
E-piph-a-ny, the /ɪ'pɪfəni/ n a Christian holy day on
January 6th, which celebrates the time when the MAGI (=three
kings from the East) visited the baby Jesus and brought him
gifts → see also TWELFTH NIGHT
e-pis-co-pa-cy /ɪ'pɪskəpəsi/ also e-pis-co-pate
/'ɪpɪskəpət/ n [U] fml 1 the rank or period of office of a
BISHOP (=a high official and priest of the Christian
Church) 2 [+sing./pl. v] all the BISHOPS
e-pis-co-pal /ɪ'pɪskəpəl/ adj 1 fml of a BISHOP 2 (often cap.) (of
a Church) governed by BISHOPS (especially in the phrase the
Episcopal Church)
Episcopal 'Church, the 1 the Protestant church in the
US which is part of the Anglican Communion (=an inter-
national group of Protestant churches that includes the
Church of England), which was established after the Ameri-
can Revolutionary War. The Episcopal Church was the first
Anglican Church to allow women to become priests and
BISHOPS. 2 a Scottish Protestant Church that is part of the
Anglican Communion
E-pis-co-pa-li-an, episcopalian /ˌɪpɪskə'peɪliən/ n a
member of an Episcopal church —Episcopalian adj