Epizooty

A generic name for those diseases of animals which manifest a common character, and prevail at the same time over considerable tracts of country. Like epidemics, they appear to depend upon some peculiar and not well-ascertained atmospheric causes; where the cases are neglected or overcrowded, they also frequently become contagious; they are apt to take on a low type of fever, and are better treated by supporting than by reducing remedies. Influenza in horses, and pleuro-pneumonia and vesicular epizoötic in cattle, are examples. E Pluribus Unum. [Lat., one from many.] The motto of the United States coat-of-arms (see Fig. 891). Epoch, Epocha, ( ep'ok , ep'ok -a,) n. [Gr. epoch -e, from epecho, to hold upon - epi , and echo , to hold.] (Chron.) A fixed point of time from which succeeding years are numbered; a point from which computation of years begins; any fixed time or period; the period when anything begins, or is remarkably prevalent; period; særa: date; age. "Scenes of war, and epochas of woe."-Prior. (Astron.) The longitude or right ascension of a planet at any particular moment of time, is simply called the epoch of that planet, for the sake of brevity. In order to determine the future position of a planet in the heavens at any particular period, it is nece ary to reckon from its epoch , or known longitude at a certain point of past time. Ep'ochal, a. Relating or belonging to an epoch: characteristic of an epoch. Epode, ( ep'od ,) n. [Gr. epō , de - epi, and ōdē , an ode. See ODE.] ( Lit. ) In the strophic choruses of the Greek drama, the last portion following the strophe and antistrophe is so called. The name of Epodes , applied to a book of Horace's poems, merely signifies supplementary odes.