espionage
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language for international communication. Several million
people speak Esperanto, which is based mainly on various
European Languages, but it has never become really popular
as an international language.
es·pi·o·nage /'espiənɑːʒ/ n [U] the action of spying (SPY);
work of finding out secrets, especially the political secrets of a
country: They were convicted of espionage. | Industrial espio-
nage is the stealing of information about another firm's busi-
ness.
es·pla·nade /ˌesplə'neɪd||'esplənɑːd/ n a level open space
for walking, often beside the sea in a seaside town
ESPN /ˌiː es piː 'en/ a CABLE TELEVISION station in the US
which broadcasts only sports
es·pous·al /ɪ'spaʊzəl/ n [C;U(ø)] fml the fact of giving one's
support to an aim, idea etc: The government's espousal of
monetarism may have increased our industrial problems.
es·pouse /ɪ'spaz/ v [T] fml to (decide to) support (an aim,
idea etc): the socialist philosophy espoused by this organiza-
tion
es·pres·so /e'spresəʊ, ɪ'spre-/ n [C;U] a type of coffee
originally from Italy made by forcing steam through crushed
coffee beans. It is very strong and is drunk from a small cup
without milk.
es·prit /e'spriː/ n [U] Fr liveliness and humour: She per-
formed the dance with great esprit.
esprit de corps /ˌespriː də 'kɔːr/ n [U] Fr loyalty among
the members of a group
es·py /ɪ'spaɪ/ v [T] lit to see suddenly, usually from a distance
or unexpectedly
Esq especially BrE written abbrev. for esquire; a title that is some-
times written after a man's name in the address of an official
letter instead of writing Mr before the name
Es·quire /ɪ'skwaɪər || 'eskwaɪər 'skwaɪər/ trademark a maga-
zine for men, produced in the US and UK, with articles on
fashion, sports, cars etc and pictures of attractive women
es·say¹ /'eseɪ/ n 1 a short piece of writing on a particular
subject as part of a course of study: We've got to write an
essay about the war with Napoleon. | literary essays 2 a short
piece of literature in which a writer gives his or her thoughts
on a particular subject usually in a graceful and pleasing
style 3 fml or pomp an attempt →1st n
es·say² /e'seɪ/ v [T] fml or pomp to make an attempt at: When
the weather improved we essayed the ascent of the mountain.
'essay ,question n a question in an examination paper that
must have an answer in the form of an essay
es·sence /'esəns/ n 1 [(the) S (ø)] the central or most
important quality of a thing; the real or inner nature of a
thing, by which it can be recognized or put into a class: The
essence of his religious teaching is love for all humanity. | the
essence of the problem 2 [C;U] something removed from a
substance, usually in the form of a liquid or jelly, having a
strong smell or taste of the original substance: essence of
roses | vanilla essence | Did you use coffee essence in making
this cake? → compare EXTRACT² 3 in essence in its/your
nature; ESSENTIALLY: In essence, the problem is a simple
one. 4 of the essence fml very important: We must hurry.
Time is of the essence.
es·sen·tial¹ /ɪ'senʃəl/ adj 1 [(to, for)] completely necessary
for the existence, success etc of something: We can live
without clothes, but food and drink are essential. | Good
timing is essential to/for our plans. | It's essential that you
arrive/to arrive on time. | Essential services will be main-
tained despite the industrial dispute. 2 [A] most important;
central; FUNDAMENTAL: What is the essential difference
between the two political systems?
essential² n [often pl.] 1 something necessary: The room was
furnished with the bare essentials: a bed, a chair, and a
table. 2 something of central importance. A book which is
about the most important facts in a subject is often called
'The Essentials of...', e.g. 'The Essentials of English Gram-
mar'.
es·sen·tial·ly /ɪ'senəli/ adv 1 in reality, though perhaps
not in appearance; BASICALLY: She's essentially a very nice
person. 2 necessarily: 'Must I do it today?' 'Not essentially.'
es·sen·tial 'oil n a strong-smelling plant oil in a pure form,
usually mixed with alcohol, usually used for PERFUME or
medicine
Es·sex /'esɪks/ a COUNTY in southeast England, between
East London and the North Sea
CULTURAL NOTE People in Britain often make jokes about
young men and women who live in Essex, and this was
especially true in the 1980s. In these jokes, Essex men
are badly educated, and often dishonest, but they earn a
lot of money, drive fast cars, and they talk loudly and have
RIGHT WING political opinions. Essex girls are stupid, wear
clothes such as short skirts, talk loudly, and are too willing
to have sex.
Essex, the Earl of (1566-1601) an English soldier and
politician. For many years he was a close friend and adviser
of Queen Elizabeth I, but after their friendship ended she
ordered him to be put in prison and, later, to be killed.
Essex 'girl n BrE derog the STEREOTYPE of a young woman
from Essex in southeast England, used in jokes and stories →
see Cultural Note at ESSEX
Essex 'man n BrE derog the STEREOTYPE of a man from Essex
in southeast England, used in jokes and stories → see
Cultural Note at ESSEX
Es·so /'esəʊ/ trademark a large oil company that operates
thousands of petrol stations in the UK. In the US it is called
Exxon.
est written abbrev. for 1 established: H. Perkins and Company, est
1869 2 estimated (ESTIMATE): population est 60,000
EST /ˌiː es 'tiː/ abbrev. for EASTERN STANDARD TIME
es·tab·lish /ɪ'stæblɪʃ/ v [T] 1 to set up; begin; CREATE: This
company/school was established in 1850. | The company has
established a new system for dealing with complaints. | This
judgment will establish a precedent. | a long-established
company | Frank Cooper Limited - Established 1874 2 [(as, in)]
to cause to be firmly settled or accepted in a particular state
or position; put beyond doubt: She established herself as the
most powerful minister in the new government. | Now that he
has established himself in the team, he is playing with much
more confidence. | Her latest film has really established her
reputation as a director. | well-established procedures 3 to
find out or make certain of (a fact, answer etc): I have been
unable to establish the truth of his story. | [+that] It has been
established that she was not there at the time of the crime. |
[+wh] The police are trying to establish where he is. 4 [usually
pass.] to make (a religion) official for a nation: The estab-
lished religion of Egypt is Islam.
es·tab·lish·ment /ɪ'stæblɪʃmənt/ n 1 [C] fml a business or
institution, especially a shop, hotel, or restaurant, or a place
used for a special purpose: New York's finest food and drink
establishments are listed in Zygoto. | Several local establish-
ments have had to shut down. | a research establishment
2 the Establishment the people and organizations in a
country who have a lot of power and influence over the
way their society thinks and behaves: His radical ideas for
the education system soon brought him into conflict with the
Establishment. | The members of the committee are all very
Establishment. | anti-Establishment behaviour
CULTURAL NOTE In both the US and the UK, people think
of the Establishment as relating to people who have
traditional and CONSERVATIVE values, who usually belong
to the UPPER CLASS or the UPPER MIDDLE CLASS and who
have important jobs in the government, or in banks and
large companies, or who work as lawyers or judges in a
court of law. It is usually regarded as being opposed to
change and new ideas, and as always supporting
traditional ideas, behaviour, and ways of doing things.
3 the educational/military/arts etc establishment the
important people and organizations who have a lot of
power and influence over the particular activity that they
are involved in: Will the boxing establishment allow them to
televise the fight? | The medical establishment disapproves of
the use of silicon implants. 4 [U(ø)] the act of establishing an
organization or system: Since the club's establishment three
years ago, the number of members has doubled. | The govern-
ment wants to encourage the establishment of new industry.