Earl marshal

In England, one of the great officers of state, whose busine it is to take cognizance of all matters relating to honor, pedigree, and military solemnities. The office is hereditary in the family of the Dukes of Norfolk. Ear'-lock, n. [A. S. ear- locca.] A curl of hair over the ear; a love-lock. Earl'ville, in low a, a post-village of Delaware co., abt. 27 m. W. of Dubuque. Earlville, in Ohio , a post-office of Portage co. Earlville, in Pennsylvania , a post-office of Berks co. Early, (ér'le,) a. [A.Š. ærlice , from ær , sooner; Icel. ár , the morning; Gr. eär, cont. er, the dawn; D. eer , before. Being before no point of time; forward; in advance of something else; prior in time; being at the beginning of the day; being in good season; timely; before the usual time; not late; as, an early riser, an early call. "Sickne is early old age." - Pope. -adv . Soon; in good season; betimes; as, come early. Early, in Georgia , a S.W. co., bordering on Alabama; area, 427 sq. m. Rivers. Chattahoochee river, and Colamoka and Spring creeks. Surface , level; soil, fertile. Cap . Blakely. Pop . (1890) 9,792. Early, in Pennsylvania, a former post-office of Elk co. Early Grove, in Mi i ippi , a post-village of Marshall co., abt. 175 m. N.E. of Jackson. Earlysville, in Virginia , a post-village of Albemarle co., abt. 94 m. W.N.W. of Richmond. Ear-mark, n. A mark made on a sheep's ear, for identification. -Any distinguishing mark or sign to identify proprietorship, . -v. a. To mark by slitting or cropping the ear; as, an ear- marked ewe. Earn, ( érn ,) v. a. [A. S. ærnan, gearnian; Ger. ernten, to reap; ernte, crop.] To merit or deserve by labor, or by any performance. - To gain, acquire, obtain, or win by labor, service, or performance; to deserve and receive as compensation; as, to earn one's livelihood. Earn, v . n . [A. S. gerinnan , to curdle.] To concrete or curdle, as milk. (Used in some parts of England.) Earn, ( érn ,) n. A name sometimes given in Scotland to the eagle; as, Earn's cliff (the eagle's cliff). Earne, or Erne, a river of Scotland, falling into the Tay near Abernethy. It rises in a loch of the same name, which has a circumference of 20 m., and is 24 m. from Perth. Earnest, (ér'nest,) a. [A. S. cornest, or geornest ; allied to EARN, q . v.; O. Ger. ernust, efficacious.] Ardent in the prosecution of any object or enterprise; eager to obtain; having a longing inclination; warmly engaged or incited; really intent upon anything; as, an earnest purpose. - Intent; fixed; serious; zealous; eager; as, an earnest politician. -n. Seriousne ; a real event, as opposed to jesting or figured appearance; eagerne ; intentne . "Hath giv'n in earnest , what I begg'd in jest."-Shaks. -First-fruits; handsel; that which is paid in advance, to clinch a bargain or bespeak reward; a part paid or delivered beforehand, as a pledge and security for the whole; a pledge or a urance of something more to come. (Often called earnest -money.) "Pay back the earnest penny received from Satan." Decay of Piety. (Law.) The sum paid by the buyer of goods in order to bind the seller to the terms of the agreement. To constitute E. , the thing must be given as a token of ratification of the contract, and it should be expre ly stated so by the giver. After E. given, and what may be its amount, the vendor cannot sell the goods to another without a default in the vendee, and, therefore, if the latter does not come and pay, and take the goods, the vendor ought to go and request him, and then, if he does not come, pay for the goods, and take them away in convenient time, the agreement is di olved, and he is at liberty to sell them to any other person. Ear'nestly, adv . Warmly; zealously; importunately; with real desire; in an earnest manner; with eagerne ; showing fixed attention; as, speak to him earnestly. Earnest-money, n . See EARNEST. Ear'nestne , n. Quality of being earnest; ardor in the pursuit of anything; animated desire; feverish zeal or warmth of inclination; eagerne ; vehemence; fervor; importunity; anxious care; solicitude; fixed desire or attention; seriousne . Earning, (érn'ing,) n. (Generally used in the plural.) That which is earned by duty, labor, or service; that which is gained or merited by due performance; wages; reward; as, honest earnings. "The wages of sin are the devil's earnings." Ear-pick, n. An instrument used for probing and cleansing the ear. Earpsborough, in N. Carolina , a P.O. of Johnson co. Ear-ring, n. A jewel or ornament worn pendent at the ear which requires to be bored, in order that it may be attached. From pa ages in Jeremiah, it appears that they were much worn by the Hebrew women in his time; and decorating the person with E. R. has always been a favorite custom among all Eastern nations. Among many nations they were worn both by men and women; but it has been an Fig . 898.-A JEWISH LADY. especial female ornament in nearly all ages and in all countries. Homer speaks of Juno as being adorned with E. R .; and the statue of the Venus de Medici has the ears pierced for rings. Among the Greeks and Romans E. R. were much worn; and during the decline of the Roman empire the most costly and brilliant jewelry was worn in the ears of the Roman ladies. Pearls were the principal jewels employed; but diamonds, rubies, and sapphires of great value, were also worn. Among the Egyptians E. R. were much worn, and in modern times such ornaments were worn, at different periods, by men as well as women. At the present day, women alone wear E. R. - When the ears are bored, a slight inflammation generally occurs, which acts as a counter-irritant in the case of sore eyes. This is often adduced as a reason for putting rings in the ears. Young girls usually have their ears bored for E. R. when about seven years of age. Earsh, ( érsh ,) n. See EDDISH. Ear-shell, n. ( Zool .) See HALIOTIDE. Ear'-shot, n. Any distance at which words may be heard; within hearing, or reach of the ear. "Stand you out of ear-shot, - I have something to say to your wife in private." - Dryden. Earth, ( érth ,) n. [A. S. corthe, corth; Ger. erde ; O. Ger. erda ; Icel. jörd ; Dan. jord ; Gr. era ; Sansk. uroî . ] The terraqueous globe which we inhabit; the world, as opposed to other scenes of existence, as the sun, moon, planets, . "This dim spot which men call Earth ." Milton . -The particles which compose the ma of the globe, but more particularly, the particles which form the fine mould on the surface of the globe; any indefinite ma or portion of that matter; the ground; soil; as, poor earth . "Give him a little earth for charity!"- Shaks. -The elementary bodies which form the globe, distinct from fire, air, or water; dry land; terrene matter. "Water, earth , and air attest his bounty." - Thomson. -A distinct part of the globe; a country; a region; a land; a territory. "In ten set battles have we driven back These heathen Saxons, and regained our earth."-Dryden. -A hole in the ground in which an animal burrows; as, a fox's earth. IMG:content-0721.jpg:[blocks in formation] (Astron.) The planet on which we live. It is the third planet from the sun, its orbit lying beyond those of Mercury and Venus. The mean distance of the earth from the sun is 92,800,000 of miles. Its form is spherical or globular. The simple proof of this fact is, that the extent of land or water over which we can look is much greater when we are on the top of a mountain, or lofty tower, at the mast-head of a ve el, than when we are on the ordinary level of the ground. The masts of ve els are seen while the hulls are hidden by the convexity of the earth; and on approaching land, the tops of towers and spires of churches are seen before buildings of le altitude rise into sight. As we go north, the altitude of the pole-star increases, and as we approach the south pole, stars, formerly invisible to us, come gradually into view. The shadow of the earth upon the moon during an eclipse is always round; and, lastly, the earth has been many times circumnavigated. The earth, IMG:content-0722.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small] Fig . 899.- BAILEY'S APPARATUS. however, is not properly a sphere, but an oblate spheroid having an equatorial diameter of 7925-6 miles, and a polar diameter of 7899-14 miles. That the distance from the E.'s centre to the poles is le than it is from. the same point to the equator, is proven by the fact that a degree of a meridian increases from the equator to the poles; also a pendulum of a given length is found. to move faster when carried toward the poles, and slower when carried toward the equator, showing that the force of gravity increases as we approach the poles, and that the distance from the E.'s centre must consequently be le . The mean density, or specific gravity, of the E. is 5-67 times that of water; that is to say, if we could compare the weight of the E. and that of a sphere of water of exactly the same size, the weight of the E. would be 5-67 times as much as that of the water. This result is attained by what is known as Cavendish's experiment. This experiment, as performed by Mr. Francis Bailey, may be described by the aid of Fig . 899. Two small balls, A, B, carried on a rod, ACB, are suspended by a single wire, DE, or by two up . IMG:content-0723.jpg:[graphic] "Why this ado in earthing up a carca ?" - Blair. positions carefully observed by means of a telescope. Large balls of lead, FG, which move upon a turning frame, are brought near to them. Observations are -v.n. To burrow; to retire under ground. then made to see how much these smaller balls are attracted out of their places by the large ones. By another movement of the turning frame, the larger balls can be brought to the position H K. The small balls are always put into a state of vibration by the attraction of the larger ones, then by observing the extreme distances to which they swing both ways, and taking the middle place between those extreme distances, we find the place at which the attraction of the large balls would hold them steady. Then, knowing the size of the large balls and their dis- tances from the small balls in the experiment, and know- ing also the size of the E. , and the distance of the small balls from the centre of the E. , we can calculate what would be the proportion of the attraction of the large balls on the small balls to the attraction of the E. on the small balls (that is, the weight of the small balls), if the leaden balls had the same density as the mean den- sity of the E. It was found that this would produce a smaller attraction than that computed from the obser- vations. Consequently, the mean density of the E. is le than the density of lead in the same proportion; and thus the mean density of the E. is found to be as above stated-5.67. The E. moves in its orbit from W. to E.; it performs its annual revolution in about 36514 days, and its revolution on its own axis in 23 hours, 56 Earth'-flax, n. ( Min . ) See ASBESTOS. "Here foxes earth'd , and wolves abhorr'd the day." - Tickell. Earth'-apple, n. A name sometimes given to various edible gourds, roots, ., as a cucumber or potato. Earth'-bag, n. ( Mil . ) Same as SAND-BAG, q. v. Earth'-bank, n. A mound or hillock of earth. Earth'-board, n. (Agric.) The mould-board of a plough. Earth'-born, a. Born of the earth; springing in a pristine condition from the earth; terrigenous; earthly; terrestrial; as, "the earth - born race." ( Prior .) - Produc- ed by earthly things; as, " earth - born cares." Earth'-bound, a . Fastened by the pre ure of the earth; as, "an earth -bound root." - Shaks. Earth'-bred, a. Low; mean; abject; sordid. Earth-closet, n. A closet resembling an ordinary water-closet, but in which earth is used in place of water for disinfecting the deposits. Earthen, ( érth'n ,) a. Composed of earth; made of earth or clayey matter; as, earthen ware. Earth'enware, n . Ware made of earth or clay by fic- tile proce ; crockery; pottery; china-ware. - See Por- TERY, POTTER'S ART, PORCELAIN, . Earth'-fed, a. Low: abject; sordid. Earth'-flag, n. ( Min .) A variety of Asbestos, so called from its long, fine, and flexible fibres, resembling flax. minutes, and 4 seconds. The orbit of the E. is an ellipse Earth'-fork, n. A pronged fork used in tillage. of small eccentricity, having the sun in one of its foci. Earth'line , n. State or quality of being earthly or The earth's axis has an inclination to the plane of its gro . sons, and the variations in the length of day and night. The temperature of the surface of the E. varies at different times from different causes. (See CLIMATE, METEOROLOGY, .) The interior of the E. is, for the following reasons, generally supposed to po e a high temperature-1. The form of the earth, nearly spherical, and flattened at the poles of rotation, together with the regular disposition of the materials about the centre in elliptical layers, proves that it must have originally existed in a fluid, if not an aëriform state; so that the constituent molecules must have had free liberty to obey the forces arising from their mutual attraction and from the rotation of the whole ma , and arranged themselves in the position of equilibrium. (See CENTRAL FORCES.) But there is no other agent than heat to which we can attribute the fusion of such substances as compose the greater part of the exterior crust of the E. 2. The fact (which now appears to be fully established) that a sensible increase of temperature takes place as we descend from the surface (in deep mines, for example), after pa ing the depth at which the influence of the solar heat ceases to be felt, furnishes a direct proof of a very high temperature in the interior of the earth. Much uncertainty exists as to the rate at which this increase takes place; but the mean result of a number of experiments made in Europe and in this country, gives an increase of 1o Fahr. for every 15 yards of vertical descent, after pa ing the stratum of constant temperature. Admitting this rate of increase, and supposing it to be continued to the center, the intensity of heat at the center will be expre ed by 3,500° of Wedge wood's pyrometer. The temperature of 100° Wedge wood, which is sufficient to fuse the lavas and the greater part of the known rocks, would be found at the depth of 125 miles. There are indications, however, that the rate of increase of temperature becomes le at great depths, while the tendency of the rock materials to melt or vaporize under such conditions may be prevented by the great pre ure to which they are subjected, since this acts to raise the melting point. It was formerly believed that the earth was a molten ma interiorily, with a solid crust perhaps not more than 60 miles in thickne , but it is now believed to be solid to the center. This is deduced from astronomical and other observations. In whatever manner the E. may have taken its existing form, there are abundant proofs that its surface has been the theatre of many great revolutions. The ma es of sand and gravel, and beds of limestone composed of shells and corals, which are found in the interior of continents, and even to the summits of the highest mountains, plainly show that the present land was once immersed deep under the waters of the ocean. The remains of anunals and plants belonging to tropical countries, found in the highest latitudes, indicate an entirely different disposition of climates from those which now exist. The appearances of the mineral strata, twisted, and dislocated, and broken asunder, also afford undeniable evidence that the changes which have taken place on the surface of the E. have not all been brought about by the silent action of the causes which we see in daily operation, but by the operation of some sudden and violent force. (Chem.) An E. proper is a compound body, consisting of a metal in combination with oxygen. They are Alumina. Glucina, Zirconia, Thoria, Didymia, Lantana, Ceria, Yttria, Terbia, and Erbia. They are insoluble in water, but di olve in acids, and are precipitated from their solutions by ammonia, potash, or soda. They are the oxides of metals that do not decompose water. (Agric.) Earths are distinguished from soils by their being without organized matter in their composition. Though scarcely any such earths are found on or near the ground's surface, yet the distinction is of use in speaking of soils. Thus, we say, a soil the basis of which is E. , sandstone, or chalk, .