Emily Dickinson Lexicon

EN-GROSS, v.t. [from gross, or Fr. grossir, engrossir, grossoyer; Sp. engrosar. See Gross.]

1. Primarily, to make thick or gross; to thicken. [Not now used.] Spenser.
2. To make larger; to increase in bulk. [Not used.] Wotton.
3. To seize in the gross; to take the whole; as, worldly cares engross the attention of most men, but neither business nor amusement should engross our whole time.
4. To purchase, with a view to sell again, either the whole or large quantities of commodities in market, for the purpose of making a profit by enhancing the price. Engrossing does not necessarily imply the purchase of the whole of any commodity, but such quantities as to raise the price, by diminishing the supplies in open market, and taking advantage of an increased demand.
5. To copy in a large hand; to write a fair correct copy in large or distinct, legible characters, for preservation or duration; as records of public acts, on paper or parchment.
6. To take or assume in undue quantities or degrees; as, to engross power.

EN-GROSS-ED, pp.

Made thick; taken in the whole; purchased in large quantities for sale; written in large fair characters.

EN-GROSS-ER, n.

1. He or that which takes the whole; a person who purchases the whole or such quantities of articles in a market as to raise the price.
2. One who copies a writing in large, fair characters.

EN-GROSS-ING, ppr.

1. Taking the whole; buying commodities in such quantities as to raise the price in market.
2. Writing correct copies in large, fair characters.

EN-GROSS-MENT, n.

1. The act of engrossing; the act of taking the whole.
2. The appropriation of things in the gross, or in exorbitant quantities; exorbitant acquisition. Swift.

EN-GUARD, v.t. [See Guard.]

To guard; to defend. Shak.

EN-GULF', v.t.

To throw or to absorb in a gulf.

EN-GULF'ED, pp.

Absorbed in a whirlpool, or in a deep abyss or gulf.

EN-GULF'MENT, n.

An absorption in a gulf, or deep cavern, or vortex.

EN-HANCE, v.i. [enh'ans.]

To be raised; to swell; to grow larger. A debt enhances rapidly by compound interest.

EN-HANCE, v.t. [enh'ans; Norm. enhancer, from hauncer, to raise. Qu. Norm. enhance, hauz; haulz, high.]

1. To raise; to lift; applied to material things by Spenser, but this application is entirely obsolete.
2. To raise; to advance; to highten; applied to price or value. War enhances the price of provisions; it enhances rents, and the value of lands.
3. To raise; applied to qualities, quantity, pleasures, enjoyments, &c. Pleasure is enhanced by the difficulty of obtaining it.
4. To increase; to aggravate. The guilt of a crime may be enhanced by circumstances.

EN-HANC-ED, pp.

Raised; advanced; hightened; increased.

EN-HANCE-MENT, n.

1. Rise; increase; augmentation; as, the enhancement of value, price, enjoyment, pleasure, beauty.
2. Increase; aggravation; as, the enhancement of evil, grief; punishment, guilt or crime.

EN-HANC-ER, n.

One who enhances; he or that which raises price, &c.

EN-HANC-ING, ppr.

Raising; increasing; augmenting; aggravating.

EN-HAR'BOR, v.i.

To dwell in or inhabit. Browne.

EN-HARD'EN, v.t.

To harden; to encourage. Howell.

EN-HAR-MON'IC, a. [from harmonic, harmony.]

In music, an epithet applied to such pieces of composition, as proceed on very small intervals, or smaller intervals than the diatonic and chromatic. An enharmomic interval is the eighth of a tone. Encyc.

E-NIG'MA, n. [L. ænigma; Gr. αινιγμα, from αινισσομαι, to hint.]

A dark saying, in which some known thing is concealed under obscure language; an obscure question; a riddle. A question, saying or painting, containing a hidden meaning, which is proposed to be guessed. Johnson. Encyc.

EN-IG-MAT'IC, or EN-IG-MAT'IC-AL, a.

1. Relating to or containing a riddle; obscure; darkly expressed; ambiguous.
2. Obscurely conceived or apprehended.

EN-IG-MAT'IC-AL-LY, adv.

In an obscure manner; in a sense different from that which the words in common acceptation imply.

E-NIG'MA-TIST, n.

A maker or dealer in enigmas and riddles. Addison.

E-NIG'MA-TIZE, v.

To utter or form enigmas; to deal in riddles.

E-NIG-MA-TOG'RA-PHY, or E-NIG-MA-TOL'O-GY, n. [Gr. αινιγμα, and γραφω, or λογος.]

The art of making riddles; or the art of solving them.

EN-JOIN', v.t. [Fr. enjoindre; en and joindre, to join; It. ingiugnere; L. injungo; in and jungo. See Join. We observe that the primary sense of join is to set, extend or lay to, to throw to or on; otherwise the sense of order or command could not spring from it. To enjoin is to set or lay to or on.]

1. To order or direct with urgency; to admonish or instruct with authority; to command. Says Johnson, “this word is more authoritative than direct, and less imperious than command.” It has the force of pressing admonition with authority; as, a parent enjoins on his children the duty of obedience. But it has also the sense of command; as, the duties enjoined by God in the moral law.
2. In law, to forbid judicially; to issue or direct a legal injunction to stop proceedings. This is a suit to enjoin the defendants from disturbing the plaintifs. Kent.