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external auditory canal ...

external auditory canal: passageway that leads from the outside of the head to the tympanic membrane, or eardrum membrane, of each ear. The structure of the external auditory canal is the same in ...
extinction: in biology, the dying out or termination of a race or species. Extinction occurs when a species can no longer reproduce at replacement levels. Most extinctions are thought to have ...
extinguisher moss: any of the plants of the genus Encalypta (order Bryales), which form large tufts on limestone rocks, ledges, and walls. About eight species are native to North America. They are ...
extortion: the unlawful exaction of money or property through intimidation. Extortion was originally the complement of bribery, both crimes involving interference with or by public officials. But extortion and, to a ...
extracellular fluid: in biology, body fluid that is not contained in cells. It is found in blood, in lymph, in body cavities lined with serous (moisture-exuding) membrane, in the cavities and channels ...
extradition: in international law, the process by which one state, upon the request of another, effects the return of a person for trial for a crime punishable by the laws of ...
extrametrical: in prosody, exceeding the usual or prescribed number of syllables in a given metre. Also, in reference to a syllable or syllables not counted in metrical analysis. In the following ...
extrasensory perception: perception that occurs independently of the known sensory processes. Usually included in this category of phenomena are telepathy, or thought transference between persons; clairvoyance, or supernormal awareness of objects or ...
extraterrestrial life: any form of life that may exist or may have existed in the universe outside of Earth. For years scientists have speculated about the possibility of extraterrestrial life and have ...
extraterritoriality: in international law, the immunities enjoyed by foreign states or international organizations and their official representatives from the jurisdiction of the country in which they are present. Extraterritoriality extends to ...
extratropical cyclone: storm system formed in middle or high latitudes, in regions of large horizontal temperature variations called frontal zones. Extratropical cyclones present a contrast to the more violent cyclones or hurricanes ...
extravaganza: a literary or musical work marked by extreme freedom of style and structure and usually by elements of burlesque or parody, such as Samuel Butler's Hudibras. The term extravaganza may ...
Extremadura: comunidad autonoma ("autonomous community") and historical region of Spain encompassing the southwestern Spanish provinces of Caceres and Badajoz. It was established by the statute of autonomy in 1983.
extreme sports: sporting events or pursuits characterized by high speeds and high risk. The sports most commonly placed in this group are skateboarding, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, in-line roller-skating, street lugeing, and BMX ...
extremum: in calculus, any point at which the value of a function is largest (a maximum) or smallest (a minimum). There are both absolute and relative (or local) maxima and minima. ...
extrinsicism: in philosophy or theology or both, the tendency to place major emphasis on external matters rather than on more profound realities. In terms of morals and ethics, it tends to ...
extrusive rock: any rock derived from magma (q.v.; molten silicate material) that is poured out or ejected at the Earth's surface. By contrast, intrusive rocks are formed from magma that is forced ...
Exuma Cays: group of some 365 cays and islands, part of the Bahama Islands, situated in the Atlantic Ocean. The Exuma Cays begin some 35 miles (56 km) east-southeast of Nassau, stretch ...
Exxon Corporation: former oil and natural resources company that merged with Mobil Corporation as Exxon Mobil in 1999.
Exxon Mobil Corporation: U.S.-based oil and gas company formed in 1999 through the merger of Exxon Corporation and Mobil Corporation. As one of the world's top three oil and energy concerns, it has ...
Eyadema, Gnassingbe: soldier who became president of Togo after a military takeover in January 1967.
Eyasi, Lake: lake, northern Tanzania. It lies west of Lake Manyara and approximately 95 miles (155 km) southwest of Arusha. At an elevation of about 3,400 feet (1,040 m), the lake covers ...
Eybeschutz, Jonathan: rabbi and religious scholar noted for his bitter quarrel with Rabbi Jacob Emden, a dispute that split European Jewry and ended the effectiveness of rabbinic excommunication during Eybeschutz's time.
Eyck, Jan van: Flemish painter who perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. His naturalistic panel paintings, mostly portraits and religious subjects, made extensive use of disguised religious symbols. His masterpiece is ...
eye dialect: the use of misspellings that are based on standard pronunciations (such as sez for says or kow for cow) but are usually intended to suggest a speaker's illiteracy or his ...
eye disease: any of the diseases or disorders that affect the human eye and vision.
eye for an eye: in law and custom, the principle of retaliation for injuries or damages. In ancient Babylonian, biblical, Roman, and Islamic law, it was a principle operative in private and familial settlements, ...
eye rhyme: in poetry, an imperfect rhyme in which two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently (such as move and love, bough and though, come and home, and laughter and daughter). ...
eye worm: (species Loa loa), common parasite of humans and other primates in central and western Africa, a member of the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes). It is transmitted to humans by the ...
eye, human: specialized sense organ capable of receiving visual images, which are then carried to the brain.
eyeglasses: lenses set in frames for wearing in front of the eyes to aid vision or to correct such defects of vision as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. In 1268 Roger Bacon ...
eyelid: movable shield of skin and tissue that protects the eyeball from mechanical injury and helps to provide the moist chamber essential for the normal functioning of the conjunctiva and cornea. ...
eyespot: a heavily pigmented region in certain one-celled organisms that apparently functions in light reception. The term is also applied to certain light-sensitive cells in the epidermis (skin) of some invertebrate ...
Eylau, Battle of: (Feb. 7-8, 1807), one of the engagements in the Napoleonic War of the Third Coalition. The first major deadlock suffered by Napoleon, the battle was fought around the East Prussian ...
Eymeric, Nicholas: Roman Catholic theologian, grand inquisitor at Aragon, and supporter of the Avignon papacy.
Eyre Peninsula: large promontory of South Australia, projecting into the Indian Ocean. A broad-based triangular formation about 200 miles (320 km) on each side, it extends from a base along the Gawler ...
Eyre, Edward John: English explorer in Australia for whom Lake Eyre and the Eyre Peninsula (both in South Australia) are named. He was subsequently a British colonial official.
Eyre, Lake: great salt lake in central South Australia, with a total area of 3,700 square miles (9,300 square km). It lies in the southwestern corner of the Great Artesian Basin, a ...
Eyskens, Gaston: economist and statesman who as Belgian premier (1949-50, 1958-61, and 1968-72) settled crises concerning aid to parochial schools and the accelerating independence movement in the Belgian Congo (now Congo [Kinshasa]).
Eystein I Magnusson: king of Norway (1103-22) whose reign with his brother Sigurd I Jerusalemfarer was the longest joint rule in the history of Norway.
Eyzies-de-Tayac caves: series of prehistoric rock dwellings located downstream from Lascaux Grotto and near the town of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac in Dordogne departement, southwestern France. The caves include some of ...
Ezekiel: prophet-priest of ancient Israel and the subject and in part the author of an Old Testament book that bears his name. Ezekiel's early oracles (from c. 592) in Jerusalem were ...
Ezekiel, The Book of: one of the major prophetical books of the Old Testament. According to dates given in the text, Ezekiel received his prophetic call in the fifth year of the first deportation ...
Ezion-geber: seaport of Solomon and the later kings of Judah, located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba in what is now Ma'an muhafazah (governorate), Jordan. The site was ...
Ezra: religious leader of the Jews who returned from exile in Babylon, reformer who reconstituted the Jewish community on the basis of the Torah (Law, or the regulations of the first ...
Ezra and Nehemiah, books of: two Old Testament books that together with the books of Chronicles formed a single history of Israel from the time of Adam. Ezra and Nehemiah are a single book in ...
Ezzelino III Da Romano: Italian noble and soldier who was podesta (feudal mayor) of Verona (1226-30, 1232-59), Vicenza (1236-59), and Padua (1237-56). A skilled commander and successful intriguer, he expanded and consolidated his power ...